


Black & Red

by CharmHazel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Gen, Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley Friendship, Sirius Black Lives, Sirius Black Raises Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharmHazel/pseuds/CharmHazel
Summary: Raised by his godfather, following the events of Halloween 1981, Harry spends his childhood, hidden from the Wizarding World, preparing to face his destiny. However, his world is turned upside down when he reunites with the beautiful redhead he rescued down in the Chamber.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Sirius Black & Harry Potter
Comments: 30
Kudos: 53





	1. A Different Decision

**October 1981…**

How could he have done this? Why did he betray them? How had he managed to fool them all for as long he did? Had they ever truly known him?

Sirius pushed down the anger he could feel welling up inside of him, knowing that now was not the time to go running off to find Peter. He needed to find out if his best friends and godson had survived their encounter with Voldemort, but just looking the huge gaping hole in the roof, where he knew Harry’s room was, he could tell that it was highly unlikely that any of them had. Even so, he needed to confirm it before he went after that traitorous rat who had fooled them all.

“Sirius?”

Tearing his gaze from the roof, Sirius’ gaze moved towards the front door to find Rubeus Hagrid, a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix, moving towards him. It looked like there was something in Hagrid’s arms, but Sirius was unable to tell due to the sheer size of the man walking along the garden path.

“Are they…” Sirius started to ask but a lump quickly formed in his throat, forcing the end of the question back down.

“Lily and James didn’t make it, but Harry here somehow survived whatever happened in his room.”

Sirius immediately shifted his gaze to the bundle the half-giant was carrying, shocked to see a mess of black hair that he knew belonged to his precious godson. He quickly glanced back up to the hole of the roof and wondered how Harry had managed to survive the destruction that had been caused.

“Pa, Pa,” a tiny voice came, pulling his attention back to the bundle in Hagrid’s arms.

Sirius couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips as he heard the name Harry had come to call him in past few months. Padfoot was too big and hard a word for a child his age to say, especially when he was still learning to talk, and his vocabulary was extremely limited. However, the smile disappeared the moment he caught sight of a lightning-shaped cut on the forehead of his godson.

Moving nearer to Hagrid, he conjured a cloth and carefully cleaned the cut clean of the blood and dust covering it. He carefully looked at the cut, intrigued by its shape. His healing skills were limited at best, but something told him that even the best Healer would not be able to rid his godson of the cut that now resided on his forehead. Shaking the thoughts away, he Banished the cloth and took his godson into his arms, who immediately curled into his godfather’s chest.

“What are you doing here, Hagrid?” Sirius asked as he turned his attention back to the half-giant.

“I’m here on orders from Professor Dumbledore,” Hagrid explained. “He notified me about an hour ago, saying something had happened at the Potter’s house and he needed me ter come find out what had happened and see if anyone had survived. He told me ter meet him in Surrey at an address he gave me if Harry was alive.”

Sirius knew Dumbledore was considering placing Harry with his relatives as he knew Petunia, Lily’s sister lived there. He knew they were Muggles who didn’t like magic, James had told him as much, but they could keep Harry safe while he went and apprehended Peter for his betrayal. He knew it was a risk to go after Peter. There were too many unknowns now when it came to dealing with his so-called friend and if he didn’t play right, it could end with him being taken away from Harry.

“Pa, Pa.”

Sirius glanced down at the little boy in his arms, who was starting to drift off to sleep, and he knew in that moment he needed to put Harry first. He couldn’t be making reckless decisions anymore and going after Peter would be doing so. He had to keep his promise to James and Lily that, no matter what happened, Harry would always come first. He loved this little boy more than life itself and he knew he would do anything to protect him.

“No, Harry won’t be going to his relatives. I’m his godfather and he is my responsibility now.”

Sirius paused, waiting for Hagrid to protest, knowing he would want to follow the orders he was given from the headmaster.

“Where will you go?” came the unexpected reply.

Sirius looked up at the half-giant, surprised to see a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.

“James and Lily made me set up an additional safe house that only I and one other person know about. They wanted to make sure Harry would remain protected if they died.”

Sirius choked as the reminder of the fact his best friends had been killed slammed into him. He didn’t know how he and Harry were going to survive without them, but he knew he was going to try his hardest to give his godson the best life he could, even if they were in hiding. 

“What will I tell Dumbledore?” Hagrid asked once he could see the grieving man had regained his composure. “He was insistent that Harry was to go to his relatives.”

“Tell him I will be in contact with him in a few days’ time once Harry and I are settled at our new home. I will need to speak to him as he was not aware of everything James and Lily had planned to protect Harry, but make it known that they were insistent that Harry did not go to his relatives, unless it was the only option available.”

The conversation with Dumbledore would be unavoidable as most people, including the headmaster, believed himself to be the Secret Keeper for the Potters. He knew, then, that he would have to remain at the safe house with Harry until it was made known who the real traitor was – Peter Pettigrew – and he could safely leave the house without fear of being arrested. That meant he would need to notify his Secret Keeper that he would be at the house and that they would need to reveal the location so Dumbledore could meet with him.

“I need you to also pass on a message to Professor McGonagall for me.”

Sirius carefully passed a sleeping Harry over to Hagrid to hold and then proceeded to summon a piece of parchment and a quill. He caught them easily and he quickly wrote a note stating where he was going and what he needed the Transfiguration teacher to do for him. 

“Please make sure you give this to her the moment you see her,” he asked Hagrid as he passed the note to him.

Hagrid gave him a nod in agreement as he placed the note securely in his pocket.

“Could you hold Harry for a few more minutes?” Sirius asked just as Hagrid went to pass Harry back to him. “I need to Summon a few things of Harry’s before we leave.”

Hagrid held onto Harry as requested as Sirius raised his wand and immediately Summoned a bag to place the items he didn’t want to leave behind. Then, in quick succession, he Summoned into the bag several items, including clothing, a toy broom, several stuffed toys and a few framed photos he knew Harry would appreciate when he was older. Satisfied he had everything he wanted from the house, while also knowing the essentials were already stocked at their safe house, he zipped up the bag and put it over his shoulder.

“We better be going,” Sirius said as he took Harry into his arms and placed him in the baby carrier he had Summoned. “I don’t want to be here with Harry when the Aurors inevitably get here to investigate what has happened.”

Sirius turned away from the half-giant and began to walk towards the gate.

“Sirius!”

The wizard paused and turned his head to look back, carefully keeping his eyes on Hagrid to avoid looking at the house where his friends had died.

“Will yeh be okay?”

Sirius nodded as he replied, “We will be eventually.”

Even though it looked like Hagrid wanted to say something else, Sirius looked back to where he was heading and moved towards the gate once again before anything else could be said.

“Just please pass that note onto Professor McGonagall, Hagrid,” Sirius said as he finally reached the gate and left the property.

He quickly moved to his motorbike that was parked across the lane from the house, wanting to be leave the area before anyone could stop them. 

Before he settled onto the bike, he made sure Harry was secured and cast a number of charms to protect the baby while they travelled. Once he had cast his own charms to protect himself while travelling, he jumped on his bike, turned it on and drove away, not once looking back at the village.

**HP &GW**

It was about an hour later when Sirius finally pulled his motorbike onto the lane that led to the safehouse. As he drove through the wards, he felt a bit of tension drain away from his body at the knowledge that he and Harry were now safe and hidden from anyone who could cause them harm.

The wards surrounding the cottage were the strongest wards that could be used around a property and the best that money could buy from the warding team at Gringotts. The Fidelius Charm had obviously been used with only himself and Professor McGonagall, their Secret Keeper, being aware where the property was. The goblins had added a number of complicated wards that used magical signatures that would only allow select people, specifically those that did not carry the Dark Mark and those who did not mean them harm, to cross the wards onto the property. The sheer number of wards that had been used meant this was currently the safest place they could be, and Sirius wished James and Lily had used them too as it would have meant them having time to escape once Voldemort had been able to get through the Fidelius.

Looking down at the sleeping child, still comfortably strapped to his chest, Sirius could only sigh in defeat at a now unachievable wish. He knew his friends had refused the idea of the additional wards for multiple reasons, one of which they had refused to reveal. They had chosen this option to make sure Harry would have somewhere safe to live, far from prying eyes and from those who wished to harm him further. He could only hope that their decision would be fully revealed to him in some way now that the worst-case scenario had come to pass.

Sirius shook the thoughts from his head and focused on what needed to be done now – taking care of his precious godchild. He finally climbed off the motorbike and headed into the small cottage that would now be their home.

The house had been chosen specifically for its location, far from any villages or towns, with their nearest neighbour being a good couple of miles away. The property had plenty of land, with James specifically stating, when they had found the house, that he wanted to build a mini Quidditch pitch when Harry was old enough, something Sirius knew he, himself, would make happen. The house had everything that they could need, having been fully furnished and set up so it was ready for use if they needed to use it. He knew James had come out here once a week to check on the house and to add any additional things, like food, that would be needed.

On reaching Harry’s room, Sirius stood in the doorway and took a look at the layout of the room. He had not seen the room since he came with James to take a look at the house, ahead of his friend buying the property. He couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face as he realised that James had made sure the room was a complete replica of Harry’s room in Godric’s Hollow. It seemed James had wanted the transition for Harry to be as smooth as possible.

Sirius felt Harry begin to stir, causing him to finally move into the room and over to the changing table. He quickly and carefully removed Harry from the carrier onto the table. Luckily, Harry settled back down, making it easier for Sirius to clean the child up and change his clothes and nappy before he transferred him into the cot. 

He remained standing watching over his godson as he slept. He didn’t know how he was going to manage suddenly becoming the parental figure in Harry’s life, but he knew he would manage somehow, because James and Lily trusted and believed in him to do so. He also knew it meant that he would be responsible for protecting Harry if Voldemort ever returned, something Dumbledore had been adamant would happen if he was defeated too soon. If Dumbledore’s guess was correct, and it most definitely would be, then Voldemort would more than likely come after Harry in retaliation for what had happened tonight. Therefore, Sirius needed to make sure Harry could fight when the time came.

Grateful that Harry had settled down without any problems, Sirius finally left his godson’s room and headed to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Once clean and changed into fresh clothes, Sirius headed back downstairs and into the living room, where he proceeded to collapse onto the sofa. The silence of the house didn’t ease the heartbreak he felt deep within him and before he could gain control of his emotions, the tears began flowing from eyes. Knowing it was no use to ignore his grief, he allowed himself to fully succumb to it as he wept for the loss of his closest friends.


	2. An Unexpected Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May 1993 - An unexpected task is given to Harry.

**May 1993…**

“Thank you, Fawkes. I shall call for you when I need you again.”

Albus Dumbledore watched as his companion flamed away before beginning his brisk walk down the lane to the house he wished to visit. 

It had been nearly twelve years since he had last visited, having remained away out of respect for the owner and his godson. Sirius Black and Harry Potter had lived here since the night Harry’s parents, James and Lily, had been killed by Lord Voldemort. It had kept them safe and hidden from the rest of the wizarding world all these years, with only a very small number of people being aware of the location.

He had been shocked to learn that his groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, had willingly allowed Sirius to take Harry with him, but Minerva McGonagall had told him that she was well aware of where the pair had gone and knew that they were well hidden. She made clear that, while she had not been given the secret of where the Potters had been hidden, she was well aware of whom the Secret Keeper had been. His Transfiguration professor had then made it clear that he was not to meddle and that he was to do everything within his power to make sure Sirius’ name was cleared and guardianship of Harry was secured for him. Admittedly, Minerva may have also had some choice words for him when he had asked for the secret of the property’s location that had made an impact on him deciding to stay away from the property for all these years.

Albus had done as he had been asked. He had come to the house and spoken to Sirius about the events of that night, shocked to discover that Peter Pettigrew had been the spy within their midst. They came to an agreement that he would leave the pair alone, hidden from the world, allowing Sirius to raise Harry without interference. He, in turn, had made sure Sirius’ name had been cleared – Minerva giving a sworn testimony under Veritaserum that Peter was the Secret Keeper for the Potters – and officially declared as Harry’s guardian. After that, they had no contact with one another until Harry was sent his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. 

Sirius had appeared at the school to speak to the Headmaster, uncertain as to whether he should allow Harry to attend the school. The pair had spoken for several hours, going back and forth on what the best course of action would be. That was until Albus had let slip that he had agreed to look after a precious artefact of Nicolas Flamel that coming school year. Sirius had stood, told him that Harry would not be coming school under any circumstances, and had left his office immediately. He had not heard from the man since.

Now, Albus found himself with a situation at the school that he required help with and the only person he knew could help was young Harry himself, something he knew would not go down well with Sirius. He knew Harry was aware of the prophecy, why his parents had been killed and why he was called the Boy Who Lived, but Sirius had made it clear that Harry would remain away from any potential problems until he was in a position where he could face a Death Eater and survive. How was he going to convince the man to allow Harry to help, especially when time was of the essence?

He knocked on the door the moment he reached the door and waited. It wasn’t long before the door opened to reveal a young boy that looked like the spitting image of James Potter, but with the eyes of Lily Potter.

“Hello, Professor Dumbledore,” the boy said, recognising the man his godfather had told him so much about.

“Hello, Harry,” Albus replied in kind. “Would it be possible to speak to your godfather? A matter of urgency has arisen that I require help with.”

“Let me just get him for you, Sir.”

Albus watched as Harry disappeared into the house.

“Dad,” Albus heard Harry say, much to his confusion. He could only wonder when the relationship had shifted to that of father and son. Sirius had not mentioned the change the last time they had spoken.

“Professor Dumbledore, what a surprise,” Sirius said as he came to the door. “Please, come on inside.”

Albus entered the house, looking around at how much it had changed in the past twelve years. It had changed from a house with only the basic furnishings to one that felt homely and full of love. He  
smiled as he walked past a wall full of photos of Harry, ranging from just after he was born to more recently.

“What can I do for you, Albus?” Sirius asked as he indicated to the headmaster to take a seat.

“I have come asking for your help, Sirius,” he replied. “A matter of great urgency has come up at the school and I require assistance that I believe, right now, only your godson can provide.”

“Me?” Harry asked, confused at what he could possibly provide that no one else could, even one of the greatest wizards to ever live.

Albus looked towards Harry, having not realised the young wizard had followed them into the living room. 

“Yes, you, Harry,” Albus responded. “I believe your godfather informed you of the events that led you to living here with him.”

Harry nodded in confirmation.

“Sirius informed me during our last conversation that you were able to communicate with snakes,” Albus continued. “That talent is what we call Parseltongue. It’s rare and generally is a trait that is hereditary.”

“My dad said that my parents didn’t have the talent and that he thinks I somehow gained the talent from Voldemort the night he tried to kill me.”

Albus looked to Sirius, surprised he had informed Harry of that small piece of information.

“As I told you, the last time we spoke, I refuse to keep secrets from Harry,” Sirius said defensively. 

Albus could only nod in response, not wishing to start an argument when time was of the essence.

“I require the talent of a Parseltongue to open an entrance to a secret chamber that has long thought to be just a legend,” Albus continued on. “A young girl has been taken down there and could potentially lose her life if we do not gain entry.”

“Then, why are sitting here talking then?” Harry demanded to know as he jumped up from where he had been sitting. “The longer we sit here, the more chance there is she will die.”

Sirius looked as though he was going to argue with Harry about heading into something dangerous, but at the last second, he set his eyes upon Albus and demanded he informed them of the situation. Albus quickly gave them an overview of the events of the past year, of how a number of students had been Petrified, the message that had appeared proclaiming how the Chamber of Secrets been reopened, how there were no clues to how they had been or who the culprit was. He explained how he had been forced from the school by the governors before he could discover the truth. He confirmed he had discovered the answer earlier that evening and had been about to head to the school when he had received an urgent message from Minerva McGonagall informing him that a girl had been taken down into the Chamber of Secrets.

“How did you figure it out, Sir?” Harry asked.

“A ghost, known as Moaning Myrtle, haunts the very same bathroom where the messages have appeared,” Dumbledore told the younger wizard. “It wasn’t until Hagrid was taken away to Azkaban that I thought to speak to her. Even then, I was denied the chance to speak to her as I was forced from my position as headmaster. Professor McGonagall spoke to her on my behalf and passed along that she remembered a hissing noise and two yellow eyes. It wasn’t much, but I finally made the connection earlier today.”

“Is it a Basilisk?” Harry innocently asked to Dumbledore’s shock. “Dad gave me a book on snakes after we discovered I could speak to them.”

“It is,” he confirmed for the young wizard. “Now, unless you have any more objections, Sirius, I really do insist on us making a move. I do not wish to delay any longer as we are unaware how long the student has been down there.”

Sirius could find no argument to stop Harry from going to help, but he knew he needed to lay some ground rules.

“Harry, you have to promise me that you will listen and follow anything either myself of Professor Dumbledore ask of you?” Sirius asked as the wizards stood to leave. 

Harry nodded, “I promise.”

Sirius pulled into a rough hug before turning to Dumbledore and stating, “Let’s go, then.”

**HP &GW**

Harry couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips as he saw the writing on the wall of the corridor. A feeling of dread filled him as he took in the words, ‘Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber for ever’. He didn’t think they had much time to be standing around if they were going to prevent those words from coming true.

“Tell me again, Dumbledore, what you know,” Sirius demanded. The anger that laced his voice told Harry that his godfather suspected that they had only been given the basic facts of what had happened over this past school year.

While he knew Sirius would be mad for him wandering off without him, Harry decided to head through the door opposite the message and into the girls’ bathroom in hopes of finding the ghost Professor Dumbledore had mentioned to them.

“Ooh, who are you?”

Harry turned in the direction of the voice to see the ghost of young Hogwarts student floating just inside one of the stalls of the bathroom.

“I’m Harry,” he replied kindly. “You must be Myrtle.”

“How do you know my name?” she replied as she floated over to where Harry was stood. “I never seen you around the school. Are you even a student here?”

“No, I don’t go to school here, but Professor Dumbledore told me about you after he asked me to come and help him with something. Can I ask how you came to be a ghost here at this school, in this bathroom?”

“Ooh, no one ever asks me about how I died!” the ghost exclaimed in excitement. “It happened right here in this very bathroom.”

Harry listened patiently as she explained how she had been hiding from Olive Hornby when she heard a hissing noise. She had left the stall she had been sat in to find out what the noise was only to see two big yellow eyes and die.

“Do you know whereabouts you saw those eyes?” Harry asked, knowing the entrance had to be in the bathroom somewhere.

“Over here,” Myrtle said as she floated over to the sinks.

Even though he was not certain about what exactly he was looking for, he knew they had to be some sort of clue as to where the entrance was. That’s when he spotted the small snake on one of the sinks and the reason Dumbledore had requested him became clear. They would need Parseltongue to gain entry.

Harry took a step back and spoke, “Open!”

There was a low rumbling noise as the sink shifted and moved to reveal a pipe large enough for him to climb into. However, before he went to jump in, he turned back round to the ghost.

“Myrtle, did you see a young girl come into this bathroom and enter this pipe?” Harry asked as Dumbledore and Sirius finally entered the room.

“Yes, she has been here and gone in there several times over the last several months,” Myrtle confirmed. “It’s funny, though, as it always seemed like she struggled to open entrance. It was never like the way you just did it.”

Harry nodded, recognising the useful piece information Myrtle had just given him, before he turned back to the entrance.

“Harry?” Sirius said, but before he could ask his godson what they had spoken about or how he had found the entrance, Harry jumped inside the pipe and disappeared from view.

**HP &GW**

Harry arrived at the bottom of the pipe with a thud, landing on the damp stone floor. He quickly stood and dusted himself off before grabbing his wand and lighting it to see more clearly in the dark tunnels.

Moving his wand around to help take in his surroundings, he quickly spotted what looked like a body lying on the ground. It appeared to be too big for it to be the girl they had come down to rescue. He quickly moved over to the body and turned it over to discover it was a man, perhaps a teacher.

“HARRY!”

“I’m over here,” Harry called out, not taking his eyes off the man lying unconscious on the floor.

The footsteps of the other two wizards became louder as they neared the younger wizard. Within seconds, Harry had pulled into a rough hug by his godfather.

“Why did you just jump into that pipe without telling us what was going on?” Sirius demanded as he pulled back to check Harry over for any injuries.

“Because I am not going to hang around talking while someone’s life is on the line,” Harry replied stubbornly. “Plus, I discovered someone unconscious on the ground behind me.”

Dumbledore quickly moved forward and knelt down next to the body.

“This is Gilderoy Lockhart, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,” he noted. “I was not aware he had gone missing before coming to your house. Perhaps he will be able to give us some more information about what had happened here, this evening.”

Sirius and Harry watched as Dumbledore revived his teacher. 

“Gilderoy?” Dumbledore asked the man finally opened his eyes and looked round, seemingly unable to focus on any one thing. “Gilderoy? I need you to focus on me, I need to know how you came to be here.”

“Here?” the wizard finally responded. “Where is here? Who are you? Who am I?”

Dumbledore didn’t respond as he appeared to be keeping eye contact with the confused wizard.

“Oh dear, it appears that he has completely lost his memories.”

Sirius chuckled, “Well, to be brought down by the one spell he loves to use regularly, isn’t that just ironic?”

“Sirius, if you can take Gilderoy to the hospital wing, while I continue on with Harry.”

“Of course,” Sirius replied as he looked round to speak to Harry, only discover he was no longer there. “Damn it, Harry snuck off while we were distracted.”

**HP &GW**

Harry barely took in his surroundings as he rushed through the gap where the wall had parted and into the chamber. The only thing he truly noticed was the greenish gloom that seemed to fill the area. He only came to a sudden pause when he reached a huge statue of a wizard, who he assumed to be Salazar Slytherin.

There, at the bottom of the statue, lay the body of the student he had come to help rescue. The girl was lying face down of the floor of the chamber, her long red hair scattered as it covered any sign of her face.

Harry ran over, skidding to a stop next to the girl. He fell to his knees, dropping his wand to the floor as he did so, and carefully rolled the missing student over. She was so pale and barely breathing. He didn’t even know this girl, but the very thought that she could die because he was too late immediately weighed on his heart.

“Come on, please, I need you to wake up,” Harry begged as he gently tapped her cheek with his hand. “Please!”

“She won’t wake,” a voice said from behind, one he knew did not belong to either Sirius or Professor Dumbledore.

Harry twisted himself slightly as he turned his head to see who it was that was talking to him. There, behind him, was another boy – tall with black hair – who didn’t look quite right and gave Harry an uneasy feeling.

“Who are you?” Harry questioned the unknown boy. “I wasn’t aware of any other student being brought down here into the chamber.”

“I wasn’t brought down here against my will,” the boy replied as he moved slight closer to where Harry was knelt. “I came down here with little Ginny Weasley, who is helping me with a special project.”

The comment immediately raised Harry’s suspicions that this boy was somehow behind whatever had been happening at the school this past year and was responsible for the state Ginny Weasley was currently in. As the boy continued moving nearer, Harry realised he didn’t seem complete as a weird, misty light shone around him.

“Again, who are you and what have you done to Ginny?” Harry demanded to know as he went to pick up his wand which no longer appeared to be where he dropped it.

“Looking for this?” the boy asked as he held up the wand for Harry to see.

“Yes, thank you,” Harry replied quickly, holding out his hand for the boy to return it.

“Oh, I won’t be giving it back to you. I shall be needing it very shortly once Ginny has completed her task.”

Harry stood up, ready to do whatever he needed to get his wand back and Ginny out of this chamber.

“You see, Ginny here has been helping me regain my body,” the boy spoke, not paying attention to Harry’s movements. “I attended this school many years ago and I learnt many things, including how to preserve my memory in a diary. A diary that Ginny received and began writing in. She spilled her secrets, her wishes, her desires to me. She revealed her loneliness, her sadness at being ignored by her brothers. The more she told poured her heart out to me, the more powerful I became until I was able to bring her down here and create this form, one that is nearly complete.”

As the boy spoke, Harry’s eyes were roaming the floor around him and Ginny, looking for the diary that had been mentioned. Somehow, he knew it needed to be destroyed, but he needed to find it first.

“Once I have regained this form, I can finish off what I know needs to be done for me to truly take my place in our world. Little Ginny Weasley was very helpful in filling in what had happened in the past fifty years, especially about the defeat of Lord Voldemort. It seemed Ginny was fascinated by the child who had managed to defeat the greatest wizard to ever live by sheer luck.”

“He is NOT the greatest wizard to ever live,” Harry retaliated. “Albus Dumbledore is considered the greatest wizard in the world. The whole wizarding world believes and knows this to be true!”

“Except he is not here, now, is he?” the boy hissed in response. “No, he has been driven from the castle and nothing he can do can prevent me from returning. And now, I intend to end the life of Harry Potter once I am in a position to leave this wretched place for good.”

Harry’s jaw dropped in shock. He knew Voldemort had not been destroyed that night in Godric’s Hollow, that he would one day return. However, it seemed that day had come and he needed to find a way to delay the wizard’s return.

“You’re Lord Voldemort,” Harry spoke confidently.

“Yes, I am,” came the response from the boy. “Though, Ginny here knows me by my former name – Tom Riddle.”

“It seems your chance to destroy Harry Potter has come a little sooner than expected, Tom,” Harry replied, determined to call this boy by his original given name. “Nice to meet you, Tom. I’m Harry Potter.”

Before Tom could respond, music suddenly filled the chamber. The sound spread through Harry, giving hope and courage that he could do what needed to be done. 

A giant bird flew through into the chamber, a bird Harry recognised to be a Phoenix, and circled around Harry a few seconds before it dropped a ragged-looking hat at his feet. 

Harry bent down and picked up the hat, unsure why he had been given it. He did, however, recognise it as the school’s Sorting Hat, something Sirius had told him about whenever he had told stories about his and his parent’s time at Hogwarts.

“The Sorting Hat?” Tom Riddle questioned. “I am not quite sure how that will help you survive, Harry Potter. Shall we see if you survive against my little pet?”

Riddle turned towards the large statue and hissed, “ _Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts._ ”

Harry understood the words Tom Riddle spoke perfectly and knew instantly that he had called forth the Basilisk. He wasn’t quite sure how he was meant to defeat the giant snake, stop Tom Riddle and save Ginny Weasley, but he knew he needed to try. The only thing he could think of to do at that moment was to put some distance between himself and the Basilisk to give himself time to figure out what he was going to do.

**HP &GW**

Harry picked up the diary and studied it with fascination, wondering how one book could cause so much damage. It was certainly something that would interest the headmaster, especially considering it had belonged a teenaged Voldemort. 

A groan caused Harry to pocket the diary and look over to where Ginny Weasley was starting to come round. He picked up the Sorting Hat and the sword before quickly making his way over to the young girl, intent on making sure she was okay. Once he reached her, he dropped to his knees just as she sat up and looked around, confused to where she was.

“Oh,” the young witch gasped when Harry came into her view, causing her to shuffle away in fear.

“No, please, don’t be scared of me,” Harry quickly said, desperate to ease her fears. “The Basilisk is dead; the diary has been destroyed and Tom has gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Ginny looked around the chamber again, making sure to really take in what was around her. The Basilisk lay there, dead, just as the boy said. There was no sign of Tom, who she had seen start to come out of the diary just before she collapsed and lost consciousness. However, she couldn’t see the diary.

“The diary?” she questioned, turning back to the stranger.

“Here,” Harry said as he pulled the book from his pocket and held it out for the girl to see. “I used a Basilisk fang to destroy it. Tom disappeared the moment I drove the fang into it.”

Ginny stared at the diary, not responding to the boy’s words, before she burst into the tears. What she didn’t expect was the feel of arms wrapping round her and pulling her into a warm, and much needed, hug.

“Everything that has happened this past school year,” Harry gently said after a few minutes, “it isn’t your fault. I don’t know everything, just what I was told by Professor Dumbledore and what I was able to gleam from Tom’s ramblings. I know enough to know that the very fact you have survived an encounter with one the darkest wizards to walk this earth means you are one strong witch!”

“He was a Dark Wizard?” Ginny asked, pulling away to allow herself to see her rescuer’s face.

“Tom Riddle, the boy who befriended you through the diary, was the wizard we know today as Lord Voldemort. He killed my parents as baby, he destroyed so many lives before that, and you met a memory of him from when he was still in school. It seems he was just evil then as he was at the height of the war.”

“He killed your parents?” Ginny repeated as she studied the face of the boy sat next to her. There was something about his face that she recognised, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Who are you?”

“I’m Harry,” Harry told her. “I was told your name is Ginny Weasley.”

“Yes, it is,” she responded absently as she continued studying Harry’s face. Then, she spotted the biggest sign as to who Harry was – his famed lightning bolt scar. “Oh, Merlin!”

Ginny shuffled away from Harry again, mortified at who he was and the fact he had rescued her for near-certain death. Her brothers would tease her mercilessly if they found out her childhood crush had been the one to risk his life for her.

“Please,” Harry begged as he realised she knew who he was. “Don’t be embarrassed; I hate the title everyone calls me. I am just a normal boy – just Harry! The only difference between me and other boys my age, bar my stupid title, is that I am home-schooled and don’t actually have any friends my own age.”

Harry looked away in shame at having admitted the one thing Sirius had never been able to provide for him. He didn’t resent his godfather for keeping him away from the public eye or the lack of people in their lives as he knew it was for his own protection. He couldn’t resent his godfather for any of that when he now called him Dad, something they had both agreed his actual father would be happy for the relationship they had developed.

“I’ll be your friend,” a small voice said, breaking through Harry’s thoughts.

Harry turned back to see that Ginny had crawled closer to him. “I’d like that. Perhaps, maybe, I could write to you.”

Ginny smiled, “I’d like that, too. It would be nice to be able to write to someone who knows what happened down here. I don’t know if my family are going to be happy with me when they find out what I had done. Tom said they would hate me for all the horrible things I did on his behalf this year.”

Harry wrapped Ginny in his arms again as he firmly told her, “It isn’t your fault! Your family won’t hate you, especially once they know the truth. They will still love you! I suspect your parents, at least, will be waiting for you when we get out of here! I know there was a lot of people worried about you when I arrived at the school.”

Ginny pulled away from Harry, tears still swimming in her eyes, and stood up, ready to leave the chamber and face the teachers and her family. 

“Remember,” Harry said as he stood up and took her hand in his, “you are going to be fine and, no matter what happens, I will back you up and support you, because you’re my friend.”

Ginny simply nodded as her eyes watched the Phoenix that was flying around the ceiling of the chamber. 

“Hold my hand tightly,” Harry said to her as his grip tightened. “I think the phoenix is going to help us get out of the chamber.”

Just as Harry finished what he was saying, the phoenix swooped down, grasped Harry’s shoulder and flamed the pair away from the chamber.


	3. A Long Awaited Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> July 1995 - Harry and Ginny finally reunite after two years.

**July 1995…**

The Weasley Family, minus Percy, Charlie and Bill, shuffled through the front door and into the dark hallway of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was clear to them, from the run-down state of this one room, that the house had not been lived in for a very long time. Even though, they knew they were in the right house, having been divulged the secret of its location, they could feel the darkness seeping through the entire building.

The family were startled when the door shut behind them and a voice addressed them from the staircase.

“My apologies.”

The family turned to see Sirius Black halfway down the stairs.

“It’s been a long time anyone has lived here. The house-elf has not continued to keep this place anywhere near habitable. However, given the darkness of it, I doubt anyone would think to look for any of us here.”

Sirius finished walking down the stairs and approached Arthur and Molly, greeting them warmly, much to Fred’s, George’s and Ron’s confusion. None of them were even aware that their parents knew this man or even when they could have possibly met him. So, it was an even bigger shock when the man turned to greet their sister.

“Hello, Ginny,” he said kindly to the youngest Weasley as he gave her a quick hug. “It’s good to see you, again.”

“Is Harry here?” she asked, looking behind Sirius in hopes that her friend would be there waiting to greet her. 

While they had not seen each other in two years, after Harry had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets, they had written to each other on a near-daily basis. They had spoken of everything and anything, from the most mundane things to the deeply personal things they knew they would never tell anyone but each other. They had wanted to visit each other during the summer when Ginny was home from Hogwarts, but for two years, something had come up that had made it impossible for their parents to make it happen.

“He’s in his bedroom, hopefully sleeping,” Sirius answered, concern lacing his words. “He has not been sleeping all that well for the last couple of weeks. Don’t worry, though, he is very much eager to see his best friend.”

Ginny beamed at the older man’s words as it sent a shiver through her spine at being called Harry’s best friend. They had never said in their letters that they consider themselves as best friends, but for Ginny, at least, she knew deep down that they were.

“Right, let’s get out of this gloomy hallway,” Sirius said, now addressing the entire group. “Not that the rest of the house is much better. Molly, I hope it’s not too much trouble if I ask if you could help me with the task of cleaning this house, perhaps even providing some suggestions for how we could decorate.”

“I would be honoured,” the Weasley Matriarch replied. “I doubt we will get it all done before the kids go back to school, but we can do a clear out and a thorough clean in that time.”

“Sounds good to me. Now, let me show you to your rooms and then, I will give you all a tour of the house.”

Sirius led the group up the stairs, grateful the mounted heads of their former house-elves no longer lined the walls. With each floor they climbed, he showed another Weasley to the bedroom they would be using throughout their stay at Grimmauld Place. He had placed Ron in one of the bedrooms on the second floor and the twins and Molly and Arthur on the third floor, the same floor his bedroom was located.

“As you can see,” Sirius said as he showed Molly and Arthur their room, “the bedrooms have all been cleaned out, but are in dire need of decorating.”

“Well, it is certainly better than I had expected after seeing just the hallway,” Arthur said with a slight chuckle as he walked into the bedroom.

“Molly, would you like to see where Ginny is sleeping?” Sirius asked before she could follow her husband. While he was very much aware of the fact the Weasleys rejected the old ways that many Purebloods followed, he knew that Molly was protective of her children, especially her only daughter. 

“That would be very welcome,” she replied. “I am assuming that is up on the next floor?”

Sirius simply nodded before leading the two female Weasleys up the last flight of stairs to the fourth floor where only two doors were located.

“This is your room, Ginny,” Sirius said as he pointed to one of the doors. “It used to be my brother’s room and actually the best kept room in the entire house. I have removed all the décor he personally added, but please let me know if there is anything else you would like to have removed.”

“Thank you,” Ginny politely replied.

Just as Sirius went to open the door to the bedroom, the noise of another door opening caused him, Ginny and Molly turn round. There, peeking through a small gap, was a pair of startling green eyes; eyes Ginny knew she could never forget.

“Ginny?” a quiet voice inquired in surprise.

“Harry!” Ginny responded; her excitement obvious to the two adults.

The two teenagers stared at one another for a few seconds before Harry opened the door fully and exited his bedroom. He walked over to Ginny and wrapped her tightly in a hug, not acknowledging the fact that Sirius and his friend’s mum were in the hallway as well. 

Harry and Ginny held onto each other for several seconds, both comfortable with the closeness, even though neither had seen one another in two years. When they finally let go, Harry grabbed Ginny’s hand, gently pulled her down the hallway and into his bedroom with the door closing behind them.

Sirius and Molly glanced at each other, neither surprised by what was happening.

“If it helps,” Sirius said, breaking the silence, “I figured they would want to turn to one another if one of them had a nightmare and having this floor to themselves means they are less likely to disturb everyone. So, I placed a number of different wards and charms on this entire floor, among them some charms that will stop anything inappropriate.”

Molly appeared to be surprised by Sirius’ actions as she asked him, “When did you realise those two liked each other?”

Sirius chuckled in response; glad he had not been the only notice how the two teenagers were beginning to fall for another.

“Honestly? It probably wasn’t until a few days ago, when I told Harry that Ginny and your family would be coming to stay with us for the summer. He was so excited at the prospect of seeing your daughter. It was the only thing to make him smile after what he went through a few weeks ago. If it had been anyone else, I doubt he would have cared.”

“Did he get excited every time a letter arrived from Ginny?”

“Now I think about it, yes, he did,” he responded, wondering how he hadn’t realised that Harry was falling for Ginny before now. “He was always so excited to get a letter, always eager to read it as soon as possible. He hated the days when he didn’t get a letter or when he couldn’t write back promptly.”

“Ginny was the same,” Molly explained. “I would think, however, it would have been easy for you to overlook Harry beginning to have feelings for her, because their letters were the only contact he had with someone of his own age. That’s not me criticising you, though. You did what you needed to do and that was to protect him.”

“I know,” Sirius sighed, desperately wishing he could have made Harry’s childhood a little better through friends of his own age.

“There’s no point dwelling on what could have been,” Molly told him gently as she looked to the door the two teenagers went through. “Let’s leave them to it. I doubt they are ready to be anything more than friends yet.”

Sirius stood there, frozen to the spot in shock, as he watched the Weasley matriarch enter the bedroom her daughter was to use.

“Don’t dawdle, Sirius,” Molly said with a slight chuckle as she came back out into the hallway without Ginny’s bag. “You still need to give me and my family a tour of this house.”

**HP &GW**

Harry dragged Ginny into his bedroom, closing the door on Molly and Sirius, and immediately wrapped his arms around her. His heart was beating rapidly in excitement at having his best friend with him for the summer.

“I’m so happy to see you again, Gin,” Harry whispered, not wanting to let her out of his arms.

“I’m happy to see you as well,” Ginny responded, enjoying being held by her best friend.

The pair eventually pulled apart, allowing Ginny to get a proper look at Harry. She couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under his eyes, a clear indicator he was not sleeping well and more than likely suffering from nightmares.

“You’ve not been sleeping,” she quietly said as she ran a hand gently through his hair.

Harry looked away as though he was ashamed to admit what was happening to him.

Ginny sighed, figuring he might be reluctant to someone helping him. He had helped through her nightmares throughout the summer after he had rescued her from the Chamber, so she was determined to help him. At least, this time, she could do it in person, rather than via letters.

“It’s ok to admit you’re not sleeping,” she continued gently as she took Harry’s hand and led him over to his bed.

Harry’s eyes widened in shock as he watched Ginny climb onto his bed and made herself comfortable, using his pillows to cushion her back as she sat back against the headboard, her legs stretched out in front of her.

“Come and lay your head on my lap, Harry.”

Harry couldn’t believe what Ginny was asking him to do. They had not seen each other in two years and here she was asking him to lay his head on her lap. While he knew in his heart that she was his best friend, this, to him, was a big step to be taking, especially when her family were somewhere in the house.

“Harry, please, come and lay down,” she pleaded. “You helped me after what happened to me in the Chamber, so now it is time for me to return the favour. Please, let me help you the way you helped me.”

The sincerity in her eyes made it so Harry couldn’t refuse her. He knew if anyone understood what he was feeling and the weight of nightmares, it would be her. 

“You know you are the best friend anyone could possibly ask for,” he told her as he climbed onto the bed, lay down and settled his head on her lap.

“We can discuss just why I am the best another time, Harry,” she said with a slight chuckle as an ecstatic feeling shot through her at being called his best friend. She began to gently run one of her hands through his messy locks in similar manner her mum had always done for her and her brothers. “For now, you need to rest and relax.”

“Are you going to stay here even once I am asleep?” Harry asked, hating how vulnerable he sounded, but not wanting to be left alone while sleeping.

“I am not going anywhere, Harry.”

A couple of hours later, Harry slowly woke to the feeling of a small hand running through his hair. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared across his face at the thought that Ginny had continued the soothing gesture even as he slept. While he didn’t want the redhead to stop, he twisted his body round so he could look up at her face.

“How did you get that book?” he asked sleepily as he noticed Ginny was now reading a book she not had with her when he pulled her into his room.

Ginny immediately dropped the book in shock, having not felt Harry move his body due to being so wrapped up in what she was reading. 

“Harry, you’re awake,” she said, quickly calming herself from the unexpected question. 

“I feel better for the nap,” he said before she could ask how he was feeling. “You want to tell where you got the book when there is no way you could have moved without waking me?”

“I asked my mum to bring it to me when she came and checked on us.”

Harry immediately panicked at the thought of Mrs Weasley having seen him curled up asleep with his head on the lap of her daughter.

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny said as she chuckled at her friend’s reaction to knowing her mum had seen sat on a bed together, “my mum trusts us in a room with the door shut. Plus, you were asleep and she told me   
Sirius would be happy to know you were getting some sleep. Anyway, my mum was pleased to see me helping you.”

“Why would she be pleased?” Harry asked, slightly calmer now that he knew he was going to be hexed by his best friend’s mum.

“Well, she told me, before we came to your house, that it was my job, while we were here, to help you after everything you had been through,” Ginny carefully told him. 

Harry didn’t say anything as he sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed and hunched over as he placed his head in his hands. He knew Ginny meant well, but he didn’t want to be reminded of what had happened to him. Even then, he was not entirely sure how much the Weasleys had been told before coming to Grimmauld Place.

“How much do you know about what happened to me?”

“Only the basics,” Ginny calmly informed him, having not yet moved from where she had spent the last couple of hours sitting. “I was told that you had been kidnapped and used in some ritual that helped Voldemort regain his body.”

Ginny finally shifted from her spot on the bed and moved across so she knelt behind Harry. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, relaxing when she felt him grasp her hands, and rested her chin on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, not if you don’t want to,” she whispered into Harry’s ear. “I just want you know that I am here and willing to listen if you ever need someone to talk to.”

For a moment, Ginny didn’t think Harry was going to say anything, and she would have been fine with that as she knew they had time to talk in the coming weeks. If he all needed at the moment was her physical presence, that was fine with her.

“I am not even sure how it happened,” Harry suddenly spoke, finding strength from the warmth of his best friend’s body wrapped around his. “It all happened so suddenly. One moment I was flying on my broom, the next I was tied tightly to this statue in a graveyard. It’s all a blur. Dad said it looks like I accidentally flew through the wards surrounding our home, but even he is uncertain because he taught me where all the ward boundaries are.”

“Do you think, perhaps, someone manage to lure you out?”

“Maybe,” Harry replied uncertainly.

Neither one of them spoke for the moment as Harry allowed the guilt that had been wallowing inside him consume him. No one seemed to be able to figure out how Harry had managed to cross the boundary.

“There was this cauldron in a space between all the graves with flames burning underneath,” Harry continued, pushing his guilt aside for the moment. “Then, Wormtail appeared, holding some sort of bundle in his arms.”

“Who’s Wormtail?” Ginny asked. She didn’t want to interrupt him, but Harry had always pushed her for more details when he felt it had been necessary and she had found it had helped to confront every detail.

“He was my parents’ friend,” Harry automatically replied, which made Ginny believed that he had become so wrapped in his thoughts that he didn’t seem to remember she was there at that moment. “He was their Secret Keeper and he was the one who revealed to Voldemort where me and my parents were living. He is part of the reason I have no parents.”

Ginny could only tighten her grip on Harry’s hands, uncertain how to bring any more comfort. She felt like she should stop him as it seemed to becoming all too much for him, but, at the same time, she knew he needed to talk about what had happened to him.

“I have Sirius now, though,” Harry continued talking, slightly more positive than Ginny had expected. “He’s my dad now. He was frantic when he discovered I was missing. He already felt like he had let my parents down because he had been the one to suggest Wormtail be their Secret Keeper. He didn’t want to let me down.”

Ginny didn’t respond, knowing that Harry had now hit the point he would keep talking until he told her the whole story. Her knees were hurting from her remaining knelt behind her best friend, but she didn’t want to risk stopping Harry from telling his story so she could get more comfortable. All she could do, therefore, was ignore the pain as Harry hauntingly told her about the ritual used to bring Voldemort back, how he had fought against the man who had killed his parents and how their wands had somehow connected.

“I still don’t quite understand how it happened,” Harry told Ginny quietly, “but my parents were right there or some shadow of them. Seeing them gave me the strength to hold on until Sirius and Remus arrived with help to rescue me. I didn’t really see what happened after I let go of the connection, but I think they, along with the other shadows that appeared, somehow protected me as I ran to Sirius so he could get us out of there.”

“Where did you go from there?”

“We came straight here. I think we came by Portkey. I was so out of it that I was barely aware we were here until the next morning,” Harry told her as he seemed to relax physically. “Dad told me it would be best for us to stay here until the wards at our home could be checked and strengthened. Not quite sure how they could be improved any further, considering Dad said they were the best money could buy.”

Ginny finally shifted positions, her knees aching far more than she realised, and she sat on the edge of the bed next to Harry, her arms still wrapped tightly around him. She felt a shiver shoot through her as she felt Harry adjust his arms around her and pull her into a proper hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered, “for listening to me.”

“Anytime,” she replied, grateful he couldn’t see her face at that moment as she was certain she could feel herself blushing at their close proximity. “I am proud of you for being strong enough to go up against him and survive again.”

“I didn’t feel very strong.”

“You may not have, but you were,” Ginny replied stubbornly. “You said the same thing to me after what happened to me.”

Harry chuckled unexpectedly at her response. She had used his own words against him. He should have known she wouldn’t let him get away with trying to think he hadn’t been strong enough against Voldemort.

“I remember asking Dad if there was any chance I could see you this summer,” Harry said, changing the direction of the conversation, “but I don’t know why I saw your Mum when I dragged you in here.”

Ginny gently moved back, so she could look up at Harry’s face, and she instantly missed warmth and safety she had felt being wrapped in his arms.

“Did your Dad tell you about the Order of the Phoenix?”

Harry nodded, remembering the photo his Dad had shown him of the original Order when he had told Harry about the group and how it would be reforming now that Voldemort had regained his body.

“Well, obviously, it is going to be based here and Mum and Dad were asked to join,” Ginny explained. “So, my parents and your dad thought it might be good for us to be based here for the summer so you could have company your own age for once. Plus, Professor Dumbledore felt because of my involvement with the diary that it would be better to keep me safe as he was not sure if Voldemort would be   
interested in me or not.”

“Honestly, I want you to be safe as well,” Harry said as he pulled back into a tight hug. “However, right now, I don’t care what the reason is for you all staying, I am just happy to have my best friend here with me for the summer.”

**HP &GW**

“Ok, I have to ask, but what is with the house-elf heads?” Ginny asked as the two friends made their way down the staircase to the ground floor.

The teens had finally left Harry’s bedroom, once the young wizard had showered and dressed. As they walked down from the fourth floor, Harry had given her a brief tour of the house.

“I honestly do not know,” Harry admitted. “I think Kreacher wants his head mounted up there, though.”

“That is just creepy,” Ginny said with a tone of disgust in her voice. “I can’t believe your dad grew up here and turned out relatively sane.”

“Relatively sane might actually be pushing it when it comes to describing him, Gin.”

As they came to the bottom of the staircase, Harry pressed a finger to his lips to indicate to Ginny to be quiet. He was not in the mood to have Sirius’ mother scream at them. 

“I will explain in the kitchen,” Harry whispered when Ginny raised an eyebrow at him in question of his action.

Harry grabbed her hand and tugged along the hallway as quickly and as quietly as he could until they reached the door to the kitchen. However, the moment he pushed the door open, he froze. There, gathered round the table, was his dad, Remus, Ginny’s parents and brothers. 

“Don’t be shy, Harry,” Ginny said as she felt him to begin to shuffle backwards. “They don’t bite.”

Harry wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her family that was the problem, but the fact he wasn’t used to being around so many people. He was feeling overwhelmed, even if it was only seven other people besides himself and Ginny in the room. He was used to it just being his dad, Remus and himself.

“Harry! How wonderful to see you again!” 

Any chance to escape was taken away from Harry as he was swept up into a bone-crushing hug from Mrs Weasley. 

“Come and meet my boys,” Molly told him as she pulled away and tugged him further into the kitchen. “You remember Arthur?”

“Hello, sir,” Harry greeted Ginny’s dad as they shook hands.

“This is Fred, George and Ron,” Molly continued as she pointed to each of her boys in turn.

Harry gave them an awkward wave, not sure what to say for the moment. He could see his dad, sat at the end of the table, desperately trying to hold in his laughter at Harry’s awkwardness. He was grateful when he felt Ginny take his hand and lead him over to two seats at the table.

“So, umm, do you like Quidditch?” Ron asked Harry, cutting through the tension that settled over the table.

“I love it,” Harry answered, “but I have never actually had the chance to play a proper game.”

Harry’s eyes flickered over to his dad once the words had left his mouth. He hoped that the words hadn’t made his dad feel guilty for denying the experiences of a typical child in exchange for keeping Harry safe.

“Well, it isn’t easy to play a proper game when we don’t know enough people to play one,” Sirius commented jokingly. 

“Maybe, once it is safe enough for us to do so, Harry could come to The Burrow to play a game,” Ron suggested.

“Can I?” Harry asked, excitement shining in his eyes for everyone to see.

“It probably won’t happen until next summer, but as long as Arthur and Molly are happy to have you, then I cannot see why not,” Sirius replied, knowing the wards around The Burrow were being strengthened for the Weasleys’ safety.

The tension eased as the teens began discussing Quidditch and their favourite teams. The adults were pleased to see them all getting along, all knowing Harry had not had any friends his own age up until this moment.

As lunch continued, a thought crossed Harry’s mind about what Ginny had told him about why the Weasleys were staying with them at Grimmauld Place for the summer. If Professor Dumbledore deemed Ginny as potentially being at risk for her involvement with the diary, then she needed to be able to protect herself. Even more so, if Voldemort ever discovered their friendship.

“Dad? Uncle Moony?”

Two large gasps distracted Harry from asking what he was about to as he turned to see the twins looking at him in shock.

“Do you think it is the same Moony?” one of the twins asked as they turned to look at each other.

“Has to be. I doubt it is just a coincidence,” the other twin responded before they turned back to look at Harry.

“Remus is Moony,” Harry told him before they could even ask. “How do you know that name?”

No answer was forthcoming as one of the twins, Harry suspected it was George, jumped up from his seat and disappeared up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later and held out a blank piece of parchment to Harry.

“Is this what I think it is?” Harry asked, hoping it was the Marauders Map. His dad had taken the time, every day, to tell Harry a little bit about his parents and their friends. He hadn’t held back on what he had told Harry, owning up to being a bully in their younger years and the horrendous incident involving sending a student to the Shrieking Shack on a full moon. Even with all that, Harry lived for those stories and had hoped that one day they would recover the items that belonged to his dad and his friends.

“I can’t believe it!” Sirius exclaimed, pulling Harry from his thoughts. “I thought we would never see it again after Filch confiscated it from us.”

“If it hadn’t been so close to our N.E.W.T. exams, we would have tried to steal it back,” Remus continued. “We didn’t think it was worth the risk of getting expelled.”

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” Sirius said as he pointed his wand at the blank piece of parchment.

Harry and Ginny watched in awe as the content of the parchment revealed itself to them. The detailing was extraordinary and a reminder to Harry how incredibly talented his birth father, dad and uncle were.

“So who is who?” one of the twins asked.

“My dad, James, was Prongs,” Harry told them without looking up from the map. “He was named for his Animagus form, which was a stag.”

Harry tuned out the conversation as Sirius and Remus explained their own names, who Wormtail was to them, and some of the work that went into making the map. He knew the stories behind the map and their names, he didn’t need to hear them again at that moment.

“Are you okay?” Ginny whispered, causing Harry to shiver slightly at the feel of her breath on his skin.

“Yeah, I am good,” he replied. “Just happy to have something that had belonged to my dad.”

“This is truly a piece of art, Harry. Though, I am wondering why the twins never thought to pass it on to either me or Ron.”

Harry noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Ginny’s hand appeared to be creeping to her side. He suspected that was where she stored her wand.

“Hey,” he said, distracting her from her movements. “How about you ask them before hexing them?”

Ginny pouted for a second. “Fine, spoil my fun, why don’t you?”

Harry laughed at her response, happy to have someone who could pull him from the mood he was in at having been given something of his dad’s.

“Maybe later you can do it, especially if they don’t have a good excuse as to why they never gave it to you. I wouldn’t mind see this Bat-Bogey Hex of yours.”

Ginny smiled brightly at him and Harry felt his heart swell with joy at having been the one to cause it.

The two teens turned back to the map, exploring it in detail and laughing at some of the named parts of the castle that neither had been aware of. As they laughed together, neither were aware of the looks on the faces of Ginny’s parents, Sirius and Remus. All were pleased to see how close they had become after only writing to one another for the previous couple of years.

“Harry?” Remus asked, hating that he interrupting the two teens. “What was it you wanted to ask before?”

Harry looked up, quickly noticing how everyone seemed to be staring at him and Ginny. He quickly fought the blush he could feel forming on his face before answering.

“Oh, erm, Ginny mentioned that Professor Dumbledore was not certain if Voldemort may be potentially interested in her,” Harry explained, “you know, because of what happened with the diary.”

Harry felt Ginny stiffen slightly at the mention of diary. While they had worked through the worst of it together, he knew Ginny would never be fully over what had happened to her. Harry didn’t think anyone could ever come to terms with their trust being betrayed and violated in the way Ginny’s had been. 

“I was hoping, because of that, Ginny could begin training with me, while she is here this summer,” Harry asked as he slipped a hand into Ginny’s and gently squeezed it.

“Yes, she can,” Sirius answered immediately, much to the two teens’ surprise. 

Ginny looked to her parents, expecting them to protest such an idea. She knew her mum wanted her and her siblings to remain away from the war that was heading their way. Her mum had sat with her   
when she hadn’t been able to sleep in the summer after her first year. So, Ginny knew that her mum didn’t want any of them to go through the nightmares that she had.

“Sirius and Professor Dumbledore both spoke to us before we made the move to Grimmauld Place,” Arthur explained, knowing his daughter was expecting them to refuse her the chance to train. “We all felt, your mother included, it would be best for you, Ginny, to have some additional training. We don’t know what You-Know-Who is aware of currently, so better to be safe than sorry.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

“The training is going to have to wait for a few more days, though,” Sirius told the teens. “I need to finish off arranging the rooms I want to use for training. I haven’t had the time to sort it with everything else that has been going on and the fact that I hadn’t expected us to be here throughout the entire summer. Until then, Harry, I want you to spend time with the Weasleys, get to know them, and, most importantly, relax.”

Harry nodded, easily accepting what he was being asked to do until they restarted his training. He didn’t think it would be such a hardship to spend time with the Weasley children, especially if meant spending time with Ginny. Somehow, even being stuck in such dark house and knowing Voldemort was back, he knew this was going to a good summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone questioning their closeness, despite the fact they have only been writing, think about those you have met through sites like this and through social media. I suspect many of you have close friends as a result and that is how it is for Harry and Ginny.


	4. An Unexpected Find

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Harry begins to get to know the Weasleys, the occupants of Grimmauld Place stumble upon something unexpected.

Over the next few days, Harry started to slowly come out of his shell and made the effort to get to know the Weasleys. With Sirius busy setting up a room in the house for training and working to discover how Harry had managed to be lured outside of the wards on their home, the family of his best friend were his main company.

Mr Weasley, or Arthur as he had asked Harry to call him, was only there in the evenings as he worked at the Ministry in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Arthur had been delighted to discover Harry had spent time in the Muggle world as a child and had promptly questioned him over a number of things. 

“Harry, what exactly is the function of those small plastic boats?” Arthur had asked one evening as the occupants of Grimmauld Place sat down for dinner.

Harry had been taken aback by the question, especially as it was the last thing he had been expected to be asked about.

“Oh, erm, they don’t really have much of an important function,” Harry had explained to the older wizard. “They are nothing more than a bath toy for children.”

“A bath toy? How fascinating!” Arthur replied, seemingly pleased by the answer Harry had given him.

Molly had immediately begun fussing over Harry, much to amusement of her children and his own dad. Harry had taken the teasing about it from everyone rather well, having quickly silenced them all by saying that he didn’t mind the fussing. Molly had beamed in response and had asked what his favourite dessert was, which led to them all enjoying treacle tart that evening. 

However, most of his time was spent with the four Weasley children, who had taken over the library as a place for them to do their summer homework from Hogwarts. Harry was happy to join, especially after Remus had set him some essays to write, knowing that the events at the end of June had delayed them finishing off the last of his schoolwork for the year. 

“So, what it is like at Hogwarts?” Harry asked one afternoon, longing for an understanding of the school that was not influenced by his father and uncle. Ginny had told him a fair amount about Hogwarts as well, but even she admitted to him that her view of the school had been tainted by the events of her first year.

“Don’t tell my mum,” Ron said quietly in fear that Molly would overhear what he was about to say, “but I sometimes think the food is better than what she cooks.”

Harry laughed as he replied, “That might be because it is the house-elves who cook the food. Based on my own experiences with them, they will always go above and beyond when any request is made of them.”

“Could you please explain that to our friend, Hermione?” Ginny asked with a slight desperation in her voice. “She has been obsessed with this need to help them, free them, ever since she saw the awful treatment of one while we were at the Quidditch World Cup last year.”

“Is she a Muggleborn?” Harry asked curiously.

“Yeah, how did you know?” Ron asked.

“Dad told me my mum reacted similar to your friend when she discovered that house-elves help keep the castle running,” Harry explained. “My dad, James, took her down to the kitchens to meet them and she took the time to learn about them, their magic, their history and so on. It helped her to accept that they like to work, but still deserve to be treated with respect. I would advise your friend speaks to them before jumping to conclusions about what she thinks they need. They are incredibly powerful magical beings.”

Harry quickly learned more about Hermione Granger, Ron’s best friend at Hogwarts. He was surprised to hear she was a Gryffindor after being told she was extremely bright and loved to learn everything she could about their subjects and the magical world.

“I will be shocked if she isn’t named as a prefect, this year,” Ron said, a proud tone seeping through his words. “She will make it harder for the twins to get away with their pranks, especially if they take more of their own creations with them to school.”

“Did we hear our baby brother talking about us?” one of the twins said as they came into the library.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Ron was just saying that his friend, Hermione, should be prefect, this coming school year, and would make life more difficult for you,” Harry told them. 

“Percy couldn’t even control us, even when he was Head Boy!” the other twin said. “So, trust us, Hermione will not be a problem!”

Harry enjoyed learning more Hogwarts and what it was like to go to school there. He was amused by how much Ron talked about his friend, Hermione, making him suspect the youngest male Weasley had a crush on the girl. He laughed at all the pranks the twins had pulled, including one they had pulled on the Potions professor that had left him covered, head to toe, in various shades of pink. The very fact it had been done on Severus Snape, the man he knew had once been a friend of his mum, was even more hilarious. In return, he told them more stories of the pranks the Marauders pulled at school, which only served to give the twins some more ideas. However, it was the evenings, after dinner, that Harry loved the most. 

Every night, since Ginny had arrived at Grimmauld Place with her family, Harry and Ginny had spent a few hours talking, just the two of them. They would talk about anything and everything from their childhoods to the nightmares they both had. Harry had never felt so comfortable talking to anyone as he did Ginny, even more so than his dad, someone who he had always been open with. With Ginny, however, he knew she would understand his fears and the nightmares in a way no one else possibly could. Even then, Harry felt drawn to her in a way he couldn’t explain.

“Harry?”

Harry’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of his name being called. He turned his head towards where the voice had come from to find a blurry outline of his best friend.

“Ginny?” he said as he reached over for his glasses, bringing her and the room into focus. 

Looking at her, he could tell she had been woken from a nightmare. With a house as Dark this one was, he would have been surprised if it hadn’t caused her or anyone nightmares. He had told her, that first evening, that if she had a nightmare that she was welcome to wake him if needs be, which she had quickly responded to by telling him he could come to her as well. Somehow, just knowing she was across the hall from him was enough to keep the nightmares away for now.

“Sorry to wake you,” she said as she slid under the covers when he raised them in invitation to join him. “It’s just that you said…”

Harry just wrapped his arms around his best friend and pulled her closer until she was resting her head on his chest.

“What did you dream about?” he quietly asked as he slowly began to run a hand through her long, red hair.

“I was back in the Chamber,” Ginny whispered as Harry felt her tears hit his chest. “There are so many snakes on display in this house. I have managed to ignore them for the most part, but tonight… they were all I could think about when I went to sleep.”

“Were you dreaming specifically about the Basilisk?”

“Yes, which is weird, because the only time I remember seeing it was when I woke up after you stabbed the diary. I don’t remember any of the times he possessed me and then forced me to use the Basilisk to hurt people. I mean, I did begin to suspect I was the one behind the attacks, but I wasn’t certain because I didn’t remember anything. All I knew was that the blank spots in my memory seemed to line up with them.”

Harry sat up, bringing Ginny with him so he could look directly into her eyes as he said, “You know you’re not to blame for anything that happened? Tom used you to get what he wanted, but you fought him every step of the way.”

“I do know that, Harry,” Ginny replied with a small smile on her face. “I know it in my heart, but sometimes, my brain seems to forget.”

“Is it just the snake décor that is bothering you? Because I wouldn’t blame you if it were as this house is just so Dark. Dad always told me it was, but I didn’t grasp just how much until we arrived here after what happened the other week.”

“Maybe,” Ginny answered, though Harry could sense her uncertainty. He knew, however, that she would talk when she was ready. He wasn’t willing to push her in the same way he knew that she would never push him to say more than he was ready for.

“Do you want to stay here and sleep?” Harry asked nervously, acutely aware that he was asking his best friend, who just so happened to be an extremely beautiful girl, to sleep in the same bed as him.

Ginny’s response was to push Harry back down onto bed before curling up next to him and pulling the covers over them. Harry was certainly not going to complain about it, especially when Ginny   
seemingly settled down and fell asleep within minutes.

In amongst all of the excitement of having Ginny and her family staying with him and his dad for the summer, Harry felt this big ball of confusion inside of him. They had only met once in person before this summer and yet, when he saw her that first morning, it had not felt weird to hug her and then drag her into his bedroom. It didn’t seem to matter that she had essentially been his pen pal for the past two years; she had quickly become his best friend and the one person he knew he could confide in about anything. However, he would be a fool to deny how much Ginny had changed physically in those two years and how she was growing to become a beautiful young woman. Now, here she was curled up against him in his bed and calling her best friend didn’t seem quite right. She was so much more than that, but he wasn’t quite sure what that was. He knew, though, that he would figure it out at some point.

**HP &GW**

“I am hoping you have all completed or have at least done the bulk of your summer homework,” Molly Weasley said as she served up breakfast the next morning. “I will be needing your help on getting this place cleaned up. If you all help, then we can get a good portion of the house done before you return to school in September.”

Her children nodded in confirmation, though Harry suspected that the twins and Ron had not done anywhere near as much as Molly had hoped for. He knew Ginny was close to completing her work as he had helped her with a couple of subjects. She had told him that the sooner she had the work completed, the more time they could dedicate to training alongside Harry. He just hoped helping with cleaning   
the house didn’t cut too much into the time they would need for training.

“Sorry for sneaking out your room without waking you, this morning,” Ginny whispered, pulling Harry from his thoughts.

“That’s ok,” Harry whispered back as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up at the thought of them having slept in the same bed together. “I dread to think what would have happened had your mum caught us. I know my dad would have had too much fun teasing us about it.”

“Thank you for last night. I haven’t slept that well in quite a long time.”

Harry couldn’t help but notice as Ginny began to blush. He wondered if it was just because they had shared a bed for a few hours or if there was something more to it. Whatever it was, he knew he didn’t feel embarrassed by what had happened, not that he planned to tell anyone, as it had felt natural to him to have her curled up next to him. He hoped Ginny felt the same way about as he did, not that he was ready to have that conversation until he understood why things seemed different when it came to her.

“I was wondering, though,” Ginny continued, leaning into Harry more to make sure no one overheard them, “if you had forgotten you could come to me if you had any nightmares? It’s just… well, you seemed to be sleeping peacefully when I came in last night, but…”

“I haven’t had any nightmares since you arrived,” Harry told her honestly. “Well, at least nothing that has stopped me from going back to sleep. Talking to you that first morning really helped me. I think if someone had been killed that night then the nightmares would have been far worse than they already are.”

Ginny smiled in response, causing Harry to feel a fluttering in his stomach. 

“I promise, though, that if I have one bad enough to stop me from sleeping, I will come and get you.”

“Good. I would hate to introduce my Bat Bogey Hex I have told you about,” Ginny replied, making Harry laugh loud enough to capture the other occupants’ attention.

“What’s funny, Harry?” Sirius asked his son as he entered the kitchen.

“Ginny was just threatening me with her Bat Bogey Hex,” Harry explained, trying to ignore the looks on both his father’s and Molly’s faces. They both appeared to seem happy, but Harry couldn’t figure out why. He just hoped neither of them knew that he had slept in the same bed as Ginny for a few hours during the night.

“Oh, no, you definitely don’t want to be introduced to that, Harry,” Ron said with a shiver. “The feeling of bats coming out of your nose…”

Harry laughed at the look of horror on Ron’s face. He was impressed that Ginny had her brothers wrapped round her fingers with a threat of a simple Hex.

“You’ll have to tell me more about this hex, Ginny,” Sirius said with genuine interest, “but for now, I need to get going as I have a couple of meetings to attend today. When I get home, Harry, I should be able to update you about what is going on and set up a schedule for your and Ginny’s training.”

“Ok, Dad,” Harry replied, relief flowing through him at hopefully getting some answers as to what had happened to allow Voldemort to successfully kidnap him.

“Be good and have fun cleaning the drawing room, kids,” Sirius said with a laugh as he exited the kitchen.

**HP &GW**

Harry was not convinced that Molly’s idea of having the house cleaned by the end of the summer would happen. They had already spent the morning working on removing the Doxy infestation from the curtains. If they continued at this pace, they would be lucky to get started on the bedrooms. They have been fit for use, but that didn’t mean the bedrooms could be neglected from being scrubbed from top to bottom. Even then, a fair few things in the house had been stuck to the walls with a Permanent Sticking Charm, which left Harry thinking that, perhaps, the house was better left in the state it was in. However, his dad had made it clear he wanted it cleaned up and fit for use for the Order and as a safe house, therefore, it had to be cleaned.

“The tapestry will have to be left for now,” Molly said as she, Harry, and the four Weasley children re-entered the drawing room after lunch. “I will have to speak to Sirius about the best way to clean and repair it. So, in the meantime, we are going to clear out the cabinets. I have no idea if any of the items in there are safe, so I need you all to concentrate as you remove the items in case just the act of touching or moving them makes them do something nasty.”

Molly glared at the five teens, making Harry very glad that she was not his mother. He suspected Molly was not a woman to be crossed. 

“Right, Harry, Ginny and Ron, you can work on that cabinet,” Molly said as she pointed to the cabinet to the left of the mantlepiece, “and you, Fred and George, can help me with the other one.”

Harry held in the chuckle at the expressions on the twins’ faces, knowing that they were being punished for trying to sneak some of the Doxies away to experiment with, earlier that morning.

“They deserved that,” Ginny whispered before turning to the cabinet they had been assigned to.

“Like that will stop them,” Ron commented. “Those two are too sneaky. I do wonder how they were never sorted into Slytherin.”

The three teens quickly began working on removing items from the cabinet as they noticed Molly glance suspiciously at them. It didn’t take long for them all to realise it was best not to examine any of the items once a silver snuffbox tried to bite Harry as he removed it and after Ron had opened musical box that played a tune that caused the occupants of the drawing room to become sleepy. Luckily, Ginny had the sense to snap the lid shut before it caused further problems. 

“No examining anything, unless it is deemed necessary,” Molly had declared after those two incidences. “Straight into the bag, no questions asked.”

They all did as she asked, until Harry picked up a large, heavy locket. Harry knew he was not meant to examine it, but something was drawing him to do so. It was gold and decorated with glittering, green stones shaped into a serpentine S. Turning it, he could see the seam, but yet there appeared to be no logical place to open it. As Harry went to examine it a little closer, something hard slammed into his legs, causing him to stumble into Ron, who fortunately stopped them both from tumbling over.

“That is my master’s locket,” Kreacher cried as the house elf grabbed Harry’s wrist. “You must give Kreacher back the locket.”

Harry and Ron exchanged a look of confusion as Kreacher’s words drew the other Weasleys over to the two teens. 

“My dad has not lived here in a long time, Kreacher,” Harry calmly told him as Kreacher continued to wrestle with Harry’s wrist. “I am certain this is not his locket.”

“No, no, not him, never him,” Kreacher mumbled as he moved onto attempting to uncurl Harry’s fingers from around the locket. “My master, Regulus. Poor Master Regulus.” 

Harry wrenched his hand free from the house-elf, wondering why this was such an important possession to Kreacher.

“Kreacher, can you tell me why you must keep it?” Ginny softly asked Kreacher as she knelt down next to the house-elf.

Kreacher looked at the youngest Weasley, shock evident in his eyes at being spoken to in a kind manner. Harry could tell, however, that he was not going to speak as Ginny was not a member of the House of Black.

“Kreacher, you need to tell us why this locket is important,” Harry demanded, despite knowing that they would be going round in circles until his dad came home and intervened. While he knew he was heir to the House of Black, Harry was certain Kreacher would not respond to his requests or demands until Harry was officially the head of the family.

“No, no, no,” Kreacher mumbled as he began to pull his ears in frustration. “Kreacher has said too much. No, Kreacher cannot tell you. Master Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling anyone.”

Harry turned his head to look at Molly, but that was all Kreacher needed for him to grab hold of Harry’s hand and pry the locket from it. To everyone’s surprise, instead of Apparating, the house-elf turned and shot out of the drawing room. 

“We need to stop him,” Harry said as he took off after Kreacher. 

The Weasleys followed Harry through the house and down into the basement to where Kreacher’s cupboard was. 

“Kreacher, we need to know what is so important about that locket,” Harry demanded once again as he ripped opened the door to the cupboard.

Kreacher looked up, wide-eyed, at Harry as he kept the locket hidden in hands behind his back.

“What’s going on here?” a voice from behind them said.

Harry turned, relieved to see his dad having arrived him. He knew Kreacher would answer to him if his dad demanded it.

“We were clearing out those cabinets in the drawing room and I found this locket. I was just taking a look at it when Kreacher attacked me, demanding he be given the locket. He mentioned your brother, Regulus, Dad,” Harry explained quickly, fearful that Kreacher would take the chance to disappear.

Sirius turned to Molly, who nodded her confirmation that Harry had told the truth.

“Kreacher,” Sirius said in a firm voice, “please give me the locket that Harry speaks of and remain where you are.”

The house-elf obeyed the command of his master, even though the occupants of the house could see him trying to fight against them.

“Explain what this is and what is has to do with my brother?” Sirius asked as he took hold of the locket, quickly looking at it before turning his eyes back to the house-elf.

“Master Regulus forbade Kreacher to tell anyone.”

“Then, perhaps, I can just add this item to the bag of junk I intend on throwing out.”

It seemed every person in the room was holding their breath as they waited for Kreacher’s reaction to his master’s threat. Harry knew his dad had no intention of throwing the locket away as it had invoked a reaction that did not involve any sort of insult from the house-elf. 

“The locket, Master, was stolen by Master Regulus,” Kreacher finally responded. “He ordered Kreacher to destroy it, but nothing Kreacher did worked. I failed Master Regulus.”

“Kreacher, who did Regulus steal the locket from?” Harry asked with a sense of foreboding. The small pieces of information he had seemed to be coming together quickly. He knew from what his dad had told him that Regulus had been a Death Eater and had died at a young age. No one knew what had happened to him, but it was assumed that Regulus had died personally at the hands of Voldemort himself. If the locket was given by Regulus to Kreacher to be destroyed, then the locket had to belong to…

“The Dark Lord, Master Harry.”


	5. Truth and Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry discovers the truth about what the locket is before revealing it to his best friend.

Several weeks had passed since the unexpected discovery of Slytherin’s locket and Kreacher’s revelation about how it had come to reside at Grimmauld Place. The occupants of the house had continued on as though nothing of importance had been revealed to them, all sworn to secrecy through the use of a modified Unbreakable Vow. Sirius had been certain that Dumbledore, who they had spoken to that same evening the locket had been discovered, would not want the information being revealed and had researched a suitable charm to stop anyone revealing what they had learned. No one’s life or magic was at risk, but instead they risked being jinxed to not being to talk for a month if they spoke to anyone, except for those in the know or who would be informed at a later date.

Once everyone had moved past the shock of what Kreacher had revealed to them, Molly had tried to usher all the teenagers back into the drawing room to continue with the cleaning, just as Sirius led the old house-elf into the kitchen to talk. Harry, knowing the locket was important, had ignored the Weasley matriarch and had followed his dad into the kitchen to listen to Kreacher’s story. Ginny had tried to follow as well, but had been spotted by her mum, giving her no choice but to follow her brothers. 

Harry had been amazed to hear how his dad’s brother, Regulus, had realised his mistake of becoming a Death Eater and given his life to help bring down Lord Voldemort. However, he couldn’t imagine how Sirius felt, given that he had believed his own brother had been an ardent supporter of the Dark Lord. When Kreacher finished his story, though, Harry could only watch as his dad stared at the house-elf in shock before he stood abruptly and disappeared through the Floo. Minutes later, his head appeared, summoning both Harry and Kreacher to the Headmaster’s office at Hogwarts.

The moment Harry had stepped into the office he had been asked to use his Parseltongue skills to open the locket. Sirius immediately brought the Sword of Gryffindor down upon it, destroying it beyond repair. The look of relief that crossed Kreacher’s face when Dumbledore had confirmed they had successfully destroyed the locket had been a blessing and a revelation. The house-elf had finally fulfilled his final order from Regulus, making Harry realise just how hard it was for any house-elf to follow the orders they were given and the impact it could have on them if they were unable to complete them successfully. Kreacher was instantly more willing to follow the orders that his dad gave, finally accepting that Sirius was his master. 

Dumbledore had then gone on to tell them, once Kreacher had returned home, that he had been researching Voldemort’s past over the last couple of years, ever since the events of the Chamber of Secrets. He confessed he had held back the information from them as he had wanted to pass over every piece of necessary information to them at the same time. 

Harry had been shocked at what he had learned as the headmaster went on to explain just how far Voldemort had gone to escape death. Admittedly, he had felt some relief at knowing that they now knew what needed to be done if they were going to defeat Voldemort once and for all, but he also felt frustrated that it would still take time to discover what each of the Horcruxes were and where they were hidden. Harry knew he needed to accept it was going to take time, though, as they would not all be as easy to find as the locket had been and that had been pure luck. He would need to be patient.

Thankfully, Dumbledore had agreed, when asked by Sirius, to arrange a time to meet with them in the coming months to give them everything he had discovered and discuss it all in detail with them. Having been a teacher during Voldemort’s time at Hogwarts meant that Dumbledore had a little more insight into the person Voldemort had once been. However, he needed a little more time to obtain one more piece of information that he felt would be absolutely vital to the fight against the Dark Lord.

“I must ask, however, that you do not reveal anything that we have spoken about here this evening,” the headmaster had told them as their discussion drew to a close. “You may, Sirius, give those who were present when the locket was discovered, some kind of explanation for the locket, but they must also keep its discovery secret. It is absolutely vital that the knowledge of the Horcruxes is kept between the three of us to avoid Voldemort from learning that we are now aware of how he can be defeated.”

“No,” Harry had simply responded, much to the shock of the two older wizards.

“Perhaps you don’t quite understand the danger of this information becoming known, Harry,” Dumbledore had replied, talking to Harry as though he was one of his students.

“No, I do understand.” Harry fully understood the dangers and he was not going to let anyone prevent him from fulfilling the prophecy his dad had made him aware of. “There is one person, though, who deserves to be informed of what the locket was. Considering the diary that nearly killed her was a Horcrux, I truly believe Ginny should be made aware. Not only will it give her some sort of closure and help her move on from it, but she may be able to provide her own insight to sort of person Voldemort was.”

Harry held the headmaster’s gaze, standing his ground when it came to his best friend. He knew, even if Dumbledore refused his request, that he would still reveal this information to Ginny. He truly believed that if anyone deserved to be told about the Horcruxes, it was her. Even through her letters, Harry had been able to see just how much of an impact it’d had on her and he wanted to continue to help her process it all. No one, in his opinion, could possibly expect him to keep information from her, especially when it had the potential to help her. At the same time, for Harry, it was even more than that – he needed to be able to talk to someone about what he had just been told and what it meant for him. Yes, he had his dad and his uncle, but he wanted someone beyond them whom he could confide in, someone who was there just for him and him alone.

“I am going to have to agree with my son on this, Albus,” his dad unexpectedly said, pulling Harry’s eyes from the headmaster and towards where his dad stood. “I was already planning on arranging some sort of oath or vow to make sure no one can speak about the locket or to whom it belonged. However, Ginny deserves to be told of the significance of the diary, while allowing Harry to have someone he can confide in beyond myself and Remus, who I will be informing about all this as well. I think you know as well as I do that, had Harry been a student here, you would have given him permission to tell whomever his closest friends were. He needs to be able to confide in someone of his own age, otherwise he will be left to feel like he has to carry the burden of that information alone, especially if, god forbid, something were to happen to myself or Remus.”

“Thank you,” Harry whispered as he walked over to his dad and hugged him tightly, grateful for his understanding and backing on the issue.

“It would seem I am outnumbered,” Dumbledore said with a sigh, “but, I do understand and accept your reasoning. I will allow you to tell Miss Weasley of what has been discussed tonight and any further information I relay to you. I would like you to bring Remus in on all of this as well, Sirius, though, I suspect you had planned to. However, beyond them, I would ask again, that no one else is informed of the prophecy, or of the Horcruxes.”

Harry and Sirius nodded in agreement. Neither wished for Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters to become aware that they now knew how to defeat the Dark Lord and risk making it harder for Harry to fulfil his destiny.

“I would highly advise that you add Occlumency to your training schedule, Sirius,” the headmaster suggested, “if you have not already done so.”

“I will do so for Ginny as Harry has already been trained in the Mind Arts, but, and as much as this pains me to say, I would very much appreciate it if Snape could take a look at Harry’s defences.”

“I will arrange a time with Severus that is convenient for you both.”

Thankfully, the conversation had come to an end quickly after that. Harry had wanted to return to Grimmauld Place to speak to his best friend about what he had learned once he had understood the diary was a Horcrux. He had only remained at Hogwarts because he knew it would have been rude and disrespectful to leave before the conversation was over. Plus, he didn’t want to disappoint his dad.

The moment Harry had stepped out of the Floo, he had briefly acknowledged those who were present in the kitchen before running off to find Ginny as quickly as possible. Finding her in her bedroom, he closed the door behind him and sat down on her bed, knowing this was where he would be holding the daunting conversation. Hopefully, his dad would be able to keep anyone from interrupting them until it was time to go downstairs for dinner.

“Where did you end up going?” Ginny asked as she put down the book she had been reading. “You disappeared from the kitchen without telling anyone.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Harry replied, having not realised at the time they had failed to tell Molly, at least, to their whereabouts. “We went to see Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts.”

“That’s what we assumed.”

“He obviously knew what the locket was,” Harry explained, avoiding eye contact with his best friend as he tried to figure out how to tell her the truth about the diary. It didn’t seem to matter that he had fought for her to be informed, he now couldn’t find the words.

“I can see that whatever he told you is bothering you, Harry,” Ginny gently said as she placed a hand on his cheek and coaxed his face back to looking at her. “Given the fact that Kreacher told us the locket belonged to Tom, it isn’t hard to figure out that it is the sort of information we cannot speak freely about. So, if you have been told to keep it to yourself, I understand.”

Harry stared at Ginny in awe, thankful to have her in his life. He knew in that moment that she was strong enough to handle what he was about to tell her.

“Actually, I fought for you to be told,” he told her, finding the strength and courage he knew he would need for the conversation. “Once Dumbledore revealed what the locket was and why it was important in the war against Voldemort, I knew you needed to be told.”

Ginny smiled in response to being told her best friend had fought for her.

“It’s hard to explain, though,” Harry continued, still processing everything he had been told himself, “and I haven’t been given all the details yet.”

“Tell me what you do know, then.”

Harry slowly and carefully explained what Kreacher had told them about Sirius’ brother, Regulus, and how the locket came to be in his possession. He told her how they had destroyed the locket and what had happened when they did so before explaining as best as he could what a Horcrux was.

“They will all need to be destroyed before I can even contemplate finishing Voldemort off for good,” Harry told her as he wound down his explanation. “Dumbledore confirmed he definitely made more than one. As it turns out I have already destroyed one.”

Harry turned to look at Ginny, knowing he could not avoid telling her now he had come this far. The expression on her face, though, was hard to read. He suspected she was just processing what he had told her, which was understandable given the information.

“Harry?” Ginny finally said, having remained quiet while he had been talking. “Was… was the diary a Horcrux?”

“Yes.”

Ginny’s face fell in response. Harry said nothing as he allowed his best friend to process the bombshell he had just dropped on her.

“That explains a lot,” Ginny unexpectedly replied.

Harry’s jaw dropped. He knew the youngest Weasley was strong, but he had not expected that reaction at all. He knew she wouldn’t cry, Ginny didn’t like to cry, but, right now, he honestly would have coped better with tears than immediate acceptance.

“But… I can’t deny that knowing that makes me feel…” Ginny continued before Harry could say anything. However, whatever it made her feel, Harry never found out, though he suspected he knew what word she was going to use. His best friend, instead, let out a gut-wrenching scream before collapsing against Harry in tears. 

Harry didn’t know what to do in that moment, except to hold her and let her cry it out. As much as he knew this information was tearing her up inside, he was certain that this would only make her stronger and more determined to work hard when they began training together.

“It makes me feel dirty,” Ginny whispered painfully. “Just knowing that a piece of his soul was possessing and controlling me makes the whole experience far worse than it was.”

“I’m sorry, Gin. I wouldn’t have told you if I thought it would make it worse for you.”

“No, don’t say that, Harry,” Ginny said forcefully as she sat up straight and looked Harry directly in the eyes. “Yes, it makes feel dirty, but, at the same time, you have given me the final piece of the puzzle that I could never solve. I knew the Mind Arts were extensive, complex and dangerous, but it never made sense to me that a memory could have that much power over one person.”

“Neither did I,” Harry agreed.

“I would have reacted like that whether I had been told at the time or not for another ten years. It is going to take me some time to wrap my head around what you have just told me, but knowing the truth makes it easier to know I can put this behind me once and for all.”

“Don’t ever forget what he did to you, Gin,” Harry told her, needing her to take that pain Voldemort had caused her and channel it into their training. “While we should never live in the past, we should never forget the experiences that impact us and shape who we become.”

Ginny smiled as she reached out and took Harry’s hands in hers.

“I am not going to forget what I have been through, Harry. I doubt I ever could, but I won’t let it dictate my life or to define the person that I am. Doesn’t mean I can’t let it drive me to train as hard as I can, though!”

Harry laughed at hearing her declaration. She had proven him right that she deserved to know and that it would help her move on from the event that had impacted her deeply and defined her life for the past couple of years. 

“Though, I do think you could stand to take you own advice, Mr Boy Who Lived,” Ginny stated, shocking Harry out of his laughter. 

He wanted to glare at her for the suggestion and tell her he couldn’t ignore the event that ended up determining his course in life. Yet, he couldn’t because he knew she was right. She hadn’t let the fact he was the Boy Who Lived determine their friendship. She, instead, knew and accepted him for who he truly was – just himself, Harry.

Several days later, they finally began training. Ginny stayed true to her words and allowed her experiences of the Chamber and new knowledge about the diary push her to train hard. This was something that Harry had discovered not long after they had walked into the newly renovated basement.

“Right,” Sirius said as he clapped his hands together, “I think it would be best if we start with a duel between you two. I obviously know what Harry is capable of, but we need to know where Ginny stands in terms of her knowledge of spells and duelling.”

Neither teen said a word as they took a place at either end of the room within the wards Sirius had set up to absorb stray spells and prevent any potentially fatal spells. 

“The aim is to disarm,” Sirius explained, “but anything goes. Just none of the Unforgivable Curses and nothing deadly. The wards around you should minimise any injuries and will absorb any stray spells.   
Ready?”

The two teens nodded in agreement.

“Ok, on the count of three, you may begin. One… two… three… DUEL!”

Ginny didn’t wait around for Harry to throw his first spell as she immediately tried to Disarm him, which was blocked easily by Harry. Admittedly, the raven-haired teen was holding back on his full potential, worried that he would hurt and Disarm his best friend far too quickly. However, Ginny quickly picked up on this, making sure to use every spell in her arsenal in her attempt to win the duel. In the end, though, Harry still won, having thrown three spells in succession – the first having smashed through her weakening shield, the second Ginny had side-stepped, only for her to move directly into the path of the third spell, which had ripped her wand from her hand.

“Wow, Ginny, that was impressive,” Sirius exclaimed as he quickly took down the wards surrounding the teens. “I am disappointed that you held back, though, Harry.”

“What would you prefer? Me taking out Ginny in seconds or an actual duel that gave you an idea where to focus the training?” Harry said in defence, refusing to admit his fear of hurting the person he cared for the most out of all those close to him. He could see Ginny glaring at him for holding back, though, she did not attempt to argue with him about the decision he had made.

“Fine, that does make sense,” Sirius replied, knowing his son was right, while also recognising there was far more to Harry’s choice.

“Well, I am not remotely surprised by what Ginny has accomplished,” Remus spoke up as he gave the redhead a smile. “She was certainly one of my best pupils while I was teaching at Hogwarts and I can see that she has also improved in the past year.”

“Thank you, Professor Lupin,” Ginny responded earnestly.

“Remus or Moony is fine, Ginny. Remember, I am no longer your teacher.”

Ginny gave the werewolf a nod in acknowledgment before turning her eyes towards Harry.

“I will let it slide today, but, before I return to school, I want us to duel again with you not holding back,” Ginny demanded, hands on hips and a fierce glare that made all three wizards realise she would not back down.

Harry nodded meekly, much to the amusement of his father and uncle.

“Remus and I will come up with a plan of what we need you to work on,” Sirius explained when he realised Harry was not going to respond to Ginny. “We will set an official schedule once we are done here. Next, I need to know what you know about Occlumency and check your natural shields.”

It turned out Ginny had begun attempting Occlumency in her second year, but had struggled to advance with it. With no one to help or check her progress, she had immediately hit a wall in learning. Thankfully, Sirius quickly discovered her basic skills were good and felt she would make significant progress by the end of the summer if she worked diligently. 

Harry was extremely impressed by his best friend’s work ethic and determination to learn everything that his dad and uncle threw at her. However, he was most proud of what Ginny had achieved that very morning, something she felt had been her biggest breakthrough throughout their entire training. She had finally produced a fully-fledged corporal Patronus. 

Ginny had started to learn the charm back in her second year with help from Remus. Neither had expected her to perfect it that year, given her age at the time, but Ginny had managed to create the basic mist. She had continued attempting it over the past year, but had made no more progress. Harry had been quick to pinpoint the problem when he discovered her chosen memory had been the feeling she had any time she flew on a broom. Minutes later, with a new memory, she finally created her own personal Patronus – a silver doe. 

Harry had been shocked to discover it was the partner of his own Patronus – a stag – and had not been able to stop thinking about it all day. To be honest, it was another thing to add to the list that seemed to be ever-growing when it came to Ginny. He had no experience and, therefore, nothing to compare it to, but he suspected he had a crush on his best friend. He wasn’t ready to admit it yet, at least, not to Ginny. It was something, instead, he wanted to speak about with his dad, but there was never a free moment with the house full of people. He would have to be patient and wait until the Weasleys returned to Hogwarts.

“Harry?”

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Harry turned to see his dad standing in the doorway to the sitting room.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Dad. Just thinking.”

“It’s time to head to the Ministry and swap the Prophecy ball,” his dad responded. “Are you ready to go?”

Harry nodded, quickly getting up and joining his dad, hoping that their planned swap would go unnoticed for as long as possible. While they didn’t need it in their possession, given Harry knew the exact wording, they were not willing to take any chances. Voldemort would not be getting his hands on the prophecy.


	6. Reluctant Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Ginny to return to school and Harry to return home, though neither wishes to wishes to say goodbye.

“Your shields look good to me,” Sirius said as he pulled out of Ginny’s mind. “I cannot get through them, but I am also not the best at Legilimency. However, considering I could not get through them like I could when we first started, I think it would be safe to say they are good. I just don’t know if they would be strong enough to go up against someone like Albus or Snape.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. If Ginny’s shields were strong, then, he could finally tell her the full wording of the prophecy and the fake one they had placed in the Department of Mysteries. The switch had happened with no problems and with no one being aware of what he and his dad had done a couple of weeks ago. The Order was still doing guard duty and Death Eaters were still attempting to gain access. How long that would last though, Harry didn’t know; he just hoped it would be as long as possible to keep Voldemort and his minions distracted.

“I have asked Snape to check your shields himself when you return to school,” Sirius continued, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. “He has already checked over Harry’s and given him the all-clear. I suspect he will arrange for you to have detention, given the Ministry official who has taken the Defence post.”

“Why would anyone care about Ginny having one short meeting with Snape?” Harry asked, not recognising how harsh the words could possibly sound to his best friend.

“Harry’s right,” Ginny said in agreement. “As harsh as it sounded, the Ministry is only there to interfere and cause problems for Professor Dumbledore. Harry has not given any statement about the return of Voldemort, nor do they know he is my best friend. One meeting with Professor Snape shouldn’t cause suspicion.”

Harry was certain his dad knew they were right. He hadn’t left Grimmauld Place since they had brought him back from the graveyard as his dad had made clear he was not chancing his safety until he knew what had happened to allow for Harry to be captured that night. Therefore, Harry had not spoken to anyone, outside a select few people, about what had happened and he certainly had not gone on record in public about Voldemort having regained his body. He was grateful that his dad had prevented him from doing so as Dumbledore had been crucified in the press from announcing it without firm evidence. Given no one had seen Harry or Sirius in public since that fateful night, at least that they were aware of, the press would have been happy to destroy his name as well for suddenly making a return to only cause panic.

“You are both right,” his dad confirmed, “but only to a certain extent.”

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“The Ministry has no reason to believe the pair of you are friends, but, thanks to Lucius Malfoy, they will be aware of the fact that you, Harry, were the one to rescue Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. They may potentially question her to your whereabouts, to draw you out as a way of discrediting you, like they have done to Dumbledore. On top of that, it is well known that there are children of Death Eaters currently attending the school, many of whom will be happy to send home any information that could be of use to Voldemort himself.”

Harry noticed Ginny glance at him, looking as though something had occurred to her. It was the look in her eyes, though, that let him know that, whatever it was, could not be a good thing.

“Do you think they may monitor all my post?” Ginny asked.

Harry gasped, shocked he had not even thought about that possibility. It would mean that he would not be able to remain in contact with his best friend. He could admit, probably not out loud, that he had come to depend on the letters they exchanged on a regular basis. The idea of losing that contact between them after Ginny returned to Hogwarts was honestly devastating to him. He didn’t want to hear his dad telling them they could no longer write, so he stood up and headed for the door to leave the training room.

“Harry, don’t leave,” his dad called out to him. “I am not going to leave you two in a position of having no contact.”

Harry paused, his hand on the door handle. He couldn’t possibly imagine how that was going to possible without writing.

“Do you really think I would be willing to return to Hogwarts with no possibility of being able to talk to you until Christmas?” Harry heard as two soft arms wrapped around his waist from behind him.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Harry replied with a sigh as he turned round in Ginny’s arms to hug her properly. “You are one of the most stubborn people I know. Even if my dad didn’t have a plan, you would a find a way anyway.”

“Yes, I would,” Ginny proudly told him. “Now, let’s go and sit back down and hear what your dad has to say.”

The two teens pulled apart, walked back to where Sirius was sat on an array of cushions they used for when they were training in the Mind Arts, and sat back down. Harry ducked his head, refusing to look at his dad, who he knew would be ready to tease him about the moment he had just had with Ginny. 

“I felt the need to prepare for this possibility, after the first article came out about Dumbledore,” his dad said, choosing to ignore the moment between the two best friends. “While they have yet to try to discredit Harry, there has been rumbling around the Ministry about his whereabouts. Luckily, I have avoided having any conversations with the Minister when I have met with Kingsley about the investigation in your kidnapping, Harry.”

“You know I am going to have to eventually appear in public to speak out about what happened,” Harry responded. “I understand why you have kept us hidden, Dad; why we only go into public places using glamours or Polyjuice Potion. I know that will remain the case until Voldemort is defeated, especially if it allows me to train and find these Horcruxes without Him knowing. Don’t you think the odd appearance here and there may be of use to the public, especially once the wizarding world knows and believes Voldemort is back?”

Sirius looked at his son, wondering why it was only now he was beginning to complain about the restrictions in his life. Harry had never been one to rebel against what was asked of him, but he had always made sure to explain why they couldn’t take any risks, except when it was necessary. Yet, sitting there, watching his son sitting close to his best friend, he realised he knew the reason – Ginny Weasley.   
Harry had fallen for his best friend and having spent the entire summer together; they would have to say goodbye to one another when she returned to Hogwarts. Even so, the point of being seen in public once it was revealed Voldemort was back made complete sense.

“Fine,” Sirius confirmed. “However, I am not making any promises about when or where. The decision will be last minute to make sure there are no plans for Death Eaters to disrupt where we plan to go.”

“That’s fair, Dad,” Harry replied with a sigh of relief and happy to know he would not necessarily have to wait until Christmas to see Ginny. 

“Right, back to what I wanted to explain to you,” Sirius stated as he stood up. “The only reason I have not given these to you earlier was because I had to create a new one for Ginny and add some additional spells to Harry’s.”

Sirius picked up two packages from a shelf before turning to the two teens. He checked each package carefully before handing the teen a package, which they discovered had their names on.

“Open them,” he told them.

Harry and Ginny glanced at one another before ripping the packaging open to discover a small, square mirror. Both teens were confused by what they found, not understanding how these could possibly help them to remain in contact.

“These are two-way mirrors, which will allow you to communicate with one another. Harry’s used to belonged to his father and I have one as well. James and I used to use them when we were stuck in separate detentions at school.”

Ginny chuckled at the reason for use as Harry stared at the mirror in awe, grateful to have another item that had once to belonged to his father.

“All you have to do is say each other’s names into your mirror,” Sirius explained as he recognised the look on Harry’s face. “The other person will pick up and you will see each other’s faces, which, in turn, will allow you to talk. I added some additional spells to make sure no one but you can use the mirror. The moment your fingers made contact with the mirror, it read your magical aura and registered it. When you use it, if anyone attempts to look into it, they will only see your and their own reflections. They will also not be able to hear your conversation as I added the Muffliato Charm to the mirror as well.”

“This is amazing, Sirius,” Ginny exclaimed as she stood and hugged the man, grateful for the gift he had given her and Harry. “Thank you so much for this gift!”

“You’re very welcome,” Sirius replied as the pair pulled apart. “Just remember to be careful where you use it though. Even with all the additional charms I have added, I still don’t want you take any chances. Also, I would advise that your letters only contain basic information. Anything important you can pass onto Harry through the mirrors and we’ll make sure to get the message to right person.”

“I take it my mother knows about these, then?”

“Breathed a sigh of relief knowing you could securely communicate with at least one person outside of Hogwarts.”

Sirius turned to look at his son, realising the boy had yet to respond verbally to the mirror. He had known that the mirror would cause this kind of reaction in Harry, given how little he had from his parents. Neither them, nor Remus, had had the courage or strength to return to the cottage in Godric’s Hollow to visit or attempt to salvage any more items from the ruins. All they had was what Sirius, himself, had managed to secure that night, plus a selection of items James had chosen to leave at the back-up house and the odd item they had obtained since then. Harry had reacted the same way when Albus had returned James’ Invisibility Cloak to them. It didn’t matter what the item was, to Harry, it was precious to him.

“Harry?”

The boy finally looked up at his dad, a small smile on his face and whispered, “Thank you, Dad.”

Sirius knelt down, took his son in his arms and hugged him tightly, grateful for the close relationship they had.

“Why don’t you take next few days off from training?” he suggested as he pulled away from Harry. “There isn’t much more I can teach Ginny now and I would much rather you two enjoyed yourselves during the last few days she has here before returning to Hogwarts.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Harry replied as he jumped and grabbed his best friend’s hand before dragging her out of the training room, no doubt heading for either one of their bedrooms.

Sirius couldn’t help the smile that spread across at his face at the sight of his son. Harry was growing up fast and was blatantly falling head over heels for Ginny. Things were about to worsen for the wizarding world and Sirius knew he would give anything to keep that smile on his son’s face. He just wished he knew how much longer it would be before it became impossible to do so.

**HP &GW**

The next several days passed in a blur of laughter, pranking and packing. The adults, whether living there or passing through, took great joy in hearing the sound of the teens laughing, knowing the darkness of war was fast approaching them. It was something that Harry had chosen to make sure would continue.

“I have a proposition for you two,” Harry said to the twins, a couple of days before the Hogwarts Express was due to depart for another year.

“What sort of proposition?” Fred asked as Harry took a seat opposite him and George, who had a number of books laid out before them.

“I want to invest in your joke shop dream.”

The twins said nothing as their jaws dropped in shock. Harry couldn’t help but smirk at leaving them speechless and quickly whipped out his camera to take a photo for evidence and potential blackmail.

“I would like to give you a thousand Galleons,” Harry continued, “and my dad has said he would match me in how much he invested as well.”

The twins looked at one another, shock and glee both evident on their faces, and appeared to have some sort of silent conversation with one another.

“That’s a lot of money, Harry,” George said. 

“Why invest in us and in our dream?” Fred asked.

“My dad told me how bad things were the first-time round and that finding a reason to laugh and smile was important, even if it only lasted for a fleeting moment. Voldemort is back and war is coming, no matter how much the Ministry wants to deny it. We are all going to need a laugh every now and then, and I believe you two can help make that happen.”

“Ok, we accept your offer to invest in our joke shop,” Fred said on the behalf on the two of them. “However, we are not going to have time to go to Gringotts to set anything up.”

“My dad is sorting that out. We’ll either send the documents to you or wait until we can see you in person. I do have one stipulation on giving you this money, though.”

“Who do you want us to prank on your behalf?” George asked eagerly.

“Sadly, no one. I just want you, without letting her know that I have asked, to keep an eye on Ginny for me once you return to Hogwarts.”

“We can do that,” the twins replied together.

“Good, but if she finds out, I will be taking you down with me.”

Harry knew he was risking being hexed to within an inch of his life for asking the twins to help him out, but he had not been able to stop thinking about potential problems for Ginny. It was one of the many things that kept him from sleeping the night before the Weasley children were to return to school. Admittedly, he was grateful that it also meant that he would be returning home to the cottage, a place of familiarity and security for Harry. The problem was that it also meant not spending all day, every day with his best friend as he had done for the past two months.

Yes, he knew they would be able to talk every evening via the mirrors, but it wouldn’t be the same. He liked having her there with him, willing to listen whenever he needed to talk. Her reaction to the prophecy had not been one he had been expecting either. She had not cried or panicked, but had, instead, remained calm and made clear that she believed in him and that she was completely certain that Harry, when the time came, would face Voldemort and win. Her belief and faith in him had been overwhelming.

He knew he could admit to himself that Ginny had become the person who meant the most to him. Ever since she had encouraged him to fall asleep on her lap the day she arrived at Grimmauld Place, he had known that she would remain a permanent fixture in his life. She knew how to make him laugh, was not afraid to give him a piece of her mind, and never pushed him to talk until he was ready. He knew now that he was falling for her and the idea of her not being in his life was not one he was willing to entertain, even if it meant them just being friends. However, he was definitely not ready to confess his feelings to the red head.

Harry sat up, pushing the bed covers off, when he heard a knock on his bedroom door that was accompanied by a voice saying his name.

“Come in,” he called out, moving across the bed to make room for the person he knew was about to walk in.

“Did I wake you?” Ginny asked after popping her head round the door. Seeing Harry was awake in his bed, she walked in and closed the door behind her.

“No, I couldn’t sleep,” Harry admitted as his best friend climbed into bed with him. “I’m not looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Neither am I,” Ginny replied, shifting across the bed to curl up against Harry. “I feel torn about returning to Hogwarts. I cannot wait to see Luna, Hermione and Neville, to play Quidditch and be back at the castle, but, at the same time, I am worried about being there and something happening like Sirius suggested.”

Ginny left out how she didn’t particularly like the idea of being away from Harry until Christmas. Even though, Sirius had agreed to take Harry out in public, she was not holding out hope that it would be one of the school’s Hogsmeade weekends. For some reason, returning to Hogwarts felt like stepping into the unknown. Yet, somehow, she felt like that everything would change this coming school year, but she just didn’t know how.

“Promise me we will speak every night, even if it is just for few minutes or just to say good night?” Ginny pleaded with Harry, not caring if she sounded desperate at that moment.

“You know I will, no matter what. You need to promise that you will keep yourself safe and away from whomever this Ministry person is where possible.”

“I’ll do my best,” Ginny promised, much to Harry’s indignation. It was all she could promise him, because if this Ministry puppet said anything horrible about her best friend without him being there to defend himself, she knew she would stand up for him.

“Do you want to stay in here, tonight?” Harry asked, knowing he wanted to spend every spare second with her until she departed for King’s Cross Station. 

Their night spent talking was evident for the occupants of Grimmauld Place to see the next morning. The two teens looked like they were sleep walking as they came into the kitchen for breakfast. Thankfully, no one said anything to the pair, knowing they would have to say the goodbyes to each other for the next three months.

At ten o’clock, the time came for the two best friends to say goodbye and part ways as a select few members of the Order arrived to accompany the Weasleys to Kings Cross. No words were exchanged, except for the agreement for Ginny to call Harry on their mirrors after the welcoming feast, as they hugged each other tightly. Then, she was gone.

“I know you are going to miss her,” Sirius said as he approached Harry, “but, do you really think I am going to make you wait until Christmas to see her?”

Harry’s eyes finally left the door as they shot to look at his dad.

“I was thinking about letting you meet her in Hogsmeade at the end of October,” he told his son with a smile.

“Thank you, Dad,” Harry said as a smile finally crossed his face.

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s head home.”

**HP &GW**

Being back at the cottage brought mixed feelings to Harry. It was the place in which he had been raised by his loving godfather, but it was, now, also the place from which he had been lured and kidnapped from. He couldn’t help, therefore, questioning whether he would still be safe in the one place he had always believed he had been.

“It was never the wards,” his dad explained as they sat down at the kitchen table. “The goblins confirmed that they remain strong and even took the time to fix any minor issue they found while strengthening them further.”

“That’s all well and good, Dad, but how did I end up outside the wards? I know where the boundaries are like the back of my hand and would never purposefully leave them, unless we are going out somewhere.”

Sirius sighed, knowing he could no longer delay telling Harry what had happened that evening. He had held off for the entire summer mainly because he had wanted to give his son all the facts at once, especially if they came across something they had not picked up in their initial investigation. The other reason was because he had not wanted to bring down Harry’s mood. His son had been in a bad place in the immediate aftermath of the kidnapping, which was understandable. However, by the time the goblins and the Aurors had begun to piece together what had happened, Harry was smiling more often than not and that was mainly thanks to the presence of his best friend, Ginny. He had not wanted to destroy that piece of happiness. He was grateful, though, that he had held off as they finally figured out the final piece of the puzzle a couple of weeks previously – how Harry had been able to be lured out of the wards and into the trap waiting for him.

“How much do you remember from before you were kidnapped?” he asked, already knowing that Harry’s memory of the events had been hazy.

“The last thing I remember was sitting down to have dinner at this very table,” Harry replied, closing his eyes to picture that evening in his mind. “Just before you served up the food, an owl arrived with a letter for me. I remember removing it from the owl and then… nothing.”

Harry opened his eyes and looked at his dad, “It was the letter, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” Sirius confirmed. “I didn’t realise immediately because you didn’t act any differently. We had dinner as normal, we talked and then, after dinner, you went out to go for a fly on your broom. I had no reason to believe the letter was a problem as you receive letters from Ginny at all times of the day. Plus, you have received letters from her at dinner time before, so I had no reason to think otherwise.”

“Dad, it wasn’t your fault, you know,” Harry told him as he reached out and grabbed his dad’s hand. “I opened the letter thinking it was Ginny as well.”

“I know you did. Anyway, it didn’t click into the place that the letter may have been the problem until after the goblins confirmed the wards were never the problem. Thankfully, the letter was still on the table where you had left it, so I was able to take it directly to the Aurors, who confirmed it had a number of spells on there to make sure you continued to act as normal, to force you to walk outside of the wards and to not fight against what was happening to you. It was very Dark magic; most of these spells are unheard of.”

The many meetings Sirius had been to, over the course of the summer, had been with the goblins and the Aurors. Both had handled the kidnapping and the return of Voldemort differently. The goblins had accepted that the Dark Lord was back, having helped Sirius to make sure to take control of any vault belonging to those who were part of the Black family and had connections to Voldemort. The Aurors, however, had not gone beyond investigating how Harry had been kidnapped and not looking into who had done it, stating there was no evidence or leads to suggest who they needed to arrest. That had angered Sirius, but he had kept his opinion to himself and had made sure to cooperate fully to, at least, find answers to how Harry had managed to be lured off the property. This, in turn, had led to another meeting with the goblins about additional wards to stop this from potentially happening again.

“The goblins have updated and added to the wards to make sure this can never happen again,” Sirius continued, desperate for his son to feel safe in the one place that had always felt that way for them.   
“The Aurors, on the other hand, feel there is not much more they can do in terms of investigating your kidnapping. They claim there are no clues as to who is behind what happened. Your case has been downgraded to non-essential for the moment.”

Harry sighed in defeat. He may not have spoken out about what had happened that night and the fact Voldemort had regained his body, but he felt like that the Aurors could have at least tried to go further in their investigation. If they did, perhaps the news of Voldemort being back would be taken seriously and accepted. His memories of that entire evening still remained hazy and now, with the news of the spells on the letter, the Aurors would claim his mind had been manipulated into believing Voldemort had returned, when, in their opinion, he had not. He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, remembering that he was now safe and needed to concentrate on working towards taking down the man who had destroyed so many lives. However, one thought still lingered.

“Why did my parents not use the same wards we have around their own home?” Harry asked. It was something that had bothered him for a long time, ever since his dad had explained the magic that was keeping them safe from those who wished to harm them.

“I honestly don’t know why they didn’t, Harry,” Sirius said earnestly. “I know they had their reasons for not choosing to. I know they didn’t want to be hidden so well that no one could find them. For them, it had to be a last option. I have always wondered if the prophecy played a role in their decision, but I feel like they would have just moved in here if it had. All I know is that they wanted this place here and set up as an additional safe house and a place to raise you if the worst scenario came to pass.”

“I wish they had done more,” Harry confessed. “I love that you are my dad, but I miss my parents.”

“I do, too, kid,” Sirius said as he stood, walked around the table and pulled Harry into a hug. “I do, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is going into a three week rotation with two brand new stories. The next chapter, therefore, should be published January 24th, barring no problems or delays.


	7. Seeking Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny is dealing with a certain Ministry-appointed teacher as Harry is distracted by thoughts of a certain redhead.

It had been just over a week since Ginny had returned to Hogwarts and Harry to his home with Sirius. The two friends had communicated via their mirrors, speaking about their days and other things for a couple of hours before saying goodnight and going to bed. Despite how much they missed each other, the mirrors had helped them handle the feelings that came from them being separated from each other. Sirius had also been right to be concerned about how they communicated as Ginny had found out on her first night back at school.

“Some Ministry Official by the name of Umbridge is our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,” Ginny had told Harry when he had asked about any new teachers. “She actually interrupted Dumbledore as he was giving out the Start of Term notices.”

“What did she say?” Harry asked, his feelings torn over what this unknown woman had done. He was amused that someone had had the courage to interrupt the headmaster, but he was also concerned that she had spoken to the entire school on the first night.

“I couldn’t tell you exactly what she said to us,” Ginny told him as she thought back to earlier in the evening. “A lot of what she said seemed to confuse most people, but I think that was the point. By confusing most of the students, she didn’t make it immediately obvious that her purpose at the school isn’t to teach, but to interfere.”

“That was what my dad was afraid of. I need you to promise that you will be careful around her. Please don’t let slip that you know me. I have been lucky so far that the Ministry have used the fact that my memories from that evening are fuzzy, but if they find out you know me and know the truth, they may use you in some way. My dad and I feel like we could make so progress in learning about Voldemort and his Horcruxes, maybe even begin searching for them. We won’t be able to do that if the Ministry is on our backs about this.”

“I will try my best, Harry,” Ginny said, knowing she would not stand for anyone insulting Harry, “but you do know that you are going have to speak out eventually.”

“I know and I promise I will,” Harry admitted. “Dad is trying to hold out as long as possible to protect me and the privacy we have had all these years. Even then, I suspect he has a plan. However, I will have my dad and Remus do some digging on this Umbridge woman. I suspect she is someone who loves power and we cannot have her destroying the school for her own means.”

Sirius and Remus had come through on Harry’s request for information on Delores Umbridge. What they found was not good and only served to increase Harry’s concerns for Ginny’s safety.

“What did you find out about her?” Ginny had asked the moment she had discovered Harry had information on the woman.

“Well, she is a half-blood witch, even though she claims to be a Pureblood,” Harry started, looking down at the notes he had made when Sirius and Remus had told him everything they had managed to dig up on the woman.

“What does that have to do with the situation at Hogwarts?”

“It has everything to do with it,” Harry stated firmly. “It’s important because of what we found out about her and the person she has become.”

Ginny just looked at Harry like he had grown a second head. Yet, she knew he would not bring up a piece of information like that unless he deemed it absolutely necessary.

“Her father is a wizard, who worked in the Department of Magical Maintenance before he suddenly retired earlier than expected. No one knows what happened to him after he did so,” Harry continued after Ginny nodded her approval to do so. “Her mother, however, was a Muggle and her brother was a Squib. They left to live in the Muggle world while Umbridge was still attending Hogwarts.”

Ginny still didn’t see what this had to do with what Umbridge was planning to do at the school, but she couldn’t help but notice a strange similarity between her and Tom Riddle.

“It took a bit of digging, but Sirius managed to speak to a few people she attended Hogwarts with. Turns out she had no love for her mother or brother, because of the fact they were not magical and she felt they were inferior to her. We suspect her father may have influenced her to believe that.”

“Was she sorted into Slytherin?” Ginny asked as she was reminded of the many taunts that had been thrown at Hermione about her Muggleborn status.

“Was it that obvious?” Harry chuckled in response. “She is definitely your typical Slytherin – ambitious, ruthless, cunning – something that was obvious to all those that knew her. Yet, despite how high she has risen in the Ministry, she was never a Prefect or Head Girl.”

Ginny gasped, realising just what Umbridge planned to do.

“She is going to attempt to have Dumbledore thrown out, isn’t she? She wants to become to Headmistress herself and make changes to Hogwarts that would favour those who she deems acceptable.”

Harry smiled, impressed at how quickly she had come to that conclusion.

“That’s what we think,” Harry confirmed. “We know she was the one behind the Anti-Werewolf Legislation that passed a couple of years back, making it hard for Remus to find work. So, it wasn’t really surprising to find out that she has quite the anti-Muggle rhetoric.”

“Was she a Death Eater?”

“No, but Sirius believes she would follow Voldemort without question if he ever managed to take control of the Ministry.”

“While I am grateful you have told me all this, it is going to make it harder for me to keep my mouth shut. I barely made it through my last lesson with her. Now, I know this about her, it’s going to leave me glaring at her throughout my entire next lesson!”

“Let me give you something to laugh about then,” Harry said as a cheeky smile, the one Ginny always associated with mischief, appeared on his face. “Sirius really went all out with researching Umbridge’s past to the point of speaking to Mr Ollivander. Her wand is only eight inches in length, which is unusually short for a wand. Mr Ollivander told Sirius those that had much shorter wands than the norm meant that they were morally stunted!”

“You mean to tell me that the wand that chose her recognised her awful character long before anyone else knew?” Ginny said, biting her lip to keep her laughter in.

“Yes,” Harry just about managed to reply before the two friends burst out laughing.

“Oh, I cannot wait for my next lesson with her,” Ginny said gleefully.

That lesson came the very next day and, even armed with that piece of knowledge, the lesson ended badly for Ginny. 

Like the fourth years’ previous lesson, the class had started with a reminder with just how far behind the Ministry felt they were when it came to Defence Against the Dark Arts before she told them to read the second chapter of their assigned book. 

Ginny opened her book to the set chapter and stared at the page. She tried to keep herself focused on the page in front of her by reminding herself of what Harry had told her about Umbridge’s wand, but she quickly found her mind wandering. She had taken the time, after their first lesson, to flick through the book and had quickly discovered that this book would not help them to learn or understand the necessary skills and spells needed to defend themselves. Add that Umbridge had stated that there would be no practical lessons, Ginny knew that the Ministry was desperate for control over the students to the point of making them defenceless and leaving them dependent on the Aurors. 

“Miss Weasley?”

Ginny looked up from her book to see Umbridge stood in front of her, a questioning look on her face.

“You do not appear to be reading. Is there a problem?” Umbridge asked loud enough for the entire class to hear, causing them to stop reading and turn to look at Ginny.

“I have already read this chapter,” Ginny said, twisting the truth slightly. The woman didn’t need to know she had only skimmed through each chapter.

“Then, you may proceed to the next chapter you have not read.”

“I have read the entire book, Professor,” Ginny replied, twisting the truth again.

“Ah, yes, well, this book was meant to cover you for the entire year’s classes, Miss Weasley,” Umbridge replied, obviously stunned that someone had completed the reading. “Perhaps you could summarise what Wilbert Slinkhard taught you.”

Ginny had not been expecting this, but knew this was an opportunity to call out the woman’s teaching ability and the impact it would have on the students in the future. She knew, however, she needed to do it in a way that didn’t bring Harry’s name into it, something she knew would be incredibly difficult to do.

“I found the book to be dull and boring,” Ginny started. She had grasped enough of the content to understand how useless the book was and how damaging it would be on the students’ education.

“Please stand up, Miss Weasley, as you speak,” Umbridge said, a scowl on her face. “You may come to the front of the room to address the class.”

Ginny did what she was asked, feeling the questioning stares of her entire class on her as she did so. When she turned to face her classmates, she could see that some were also worried about what she was going to say, but she was not going back down from the truth.

“As I was saying,” Ginny said clearly once Umbridge indicated to her to continue, “I found the book to be dull and boring. It would appear the author felt the need to discourage the use of any potential spell that could protect you from being hit by something harmful. While I accept that our lessons have been disrupted by the constant change in teachers, I do not believe that this is the book that will help us to catch up to where we should be or to prepare us for the real world.”

The silence that hung over the classroom as Ginny finished speaking was deafening. Ginny knew she had more than likely overstepped with her comments, but she had been asked to reveal her thoughts on the book and she had not wanted to lie.

“Miss Weasley, this book was chosen as a way to teach the students at this school in a secure and risk-free environment. The Ministry believes that this will be sufficient for all students to take and pass their exams,” Professor Umbridge explained in response to Ginny’s statement. “So, I must ask you what exactly it is that you object to?”

“The lack of practical lessons,” Ginny stated firmly, refusing to back down. “Not only will it impact our final exam scores, especially those taking their OWLs and NEWTs this year, but it leaves each and every one of us vulnerable to attack.”

“Who are you expecting to attack you or anyone here in this school?”

“Voldemort or a Death Eater,” Ginny said as the class gasped at her saying Voldemort’s name. She was glad that Harry had drummed into her that it was better to say his name rather than live in fear of it.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for your unacceptable lies,” Umbridge said to Ginny before turning to face the class, who were in shock from Ginny’s comment. “You may have heard that Professor Dumbledore believes a certain Dark wizard to be back, but let it be known, this is a lie!”

“From what I heard, the Ministry was offered solid evidence that Voldemort had returned, but the Minister refused to believe what was in front of his eyes,” Ginny argued back as she felt her temper begin to build beyond her controlling it. “Is Fudge that desperate for control that he would happily ignore the biggest threat to our world?”

“Detention, Miss Weasley! I do not know who has filled your head with such nonsense, but your lies are unacceptable and dangerous.”

The squat witch walked over to her desk and scribbled something down before handing the piece of parchment to Ginny. 

“Take this to Professor McGonagall,” she told Ginny. “I shall see you in my office for your first detention at seven tonight.”

Ginny quickly grabbed her things and shoved them into her bag before quickly fleeing the classroom. She knew she had gone too far, but she would not back down from what she knew to be true. Harry’s name may have not been brought up, but Umbridge’s refusal to believe the truth meant refusing to believe Harry. She just hoped Professor McGonagall was not too angry with her. Hopefully, her awareness of Ginny and Harry being best friends would reduce that anger to understanding. Then again, she just hoped Harry wasn’t upset by her losing her temper.

**HP &GW**

“She did what?” Harry asked in shock.

It was much later than usual when Ginny had called him via their mirrors, apologising for the lateness as she had been stuck in detention. Harry was stunned as his best friend explained what she had done to end up there. He was more than impressed by the fact, though, that she had managed to stand up for him without revealing she knew him or saying his name. As she had stated to him, anyone criticising Dumbledore for speaking the truth was essentially criticising Harry as well, especially given that the Headmaster had stated that Harry had been used in a ritual to bring back Voldemort.

“She made me use a Blood Quill,” Ginny quietly repeated.

“Show me your hand, Ginny.”

A hand appeared in the mirror. Harry was grateful that there currently appeared to no scarring, only extremely red. However, if Ginny continued on with the rest of the detentions, her hand would definitely be left scarred for life.

“You need to tell Professor McGonagall, Ginny,” Harry told her calmly. “You know full well that the use of a Blood Quill on minors is illegal. Umbridge can claim all she wants that your detention is deserved, but her chosen punishment is not.”

“I can’t tell her, Harry,” Ginny protested. “McGonagall made it clear that her hands were tied when it came to the detentions. We may be a couple of weeks into the term, but it is obvious to everyone that the teachers are literally walking on eggshells around Umbridge. I don’t think there is anything that she will be able to do. Plus, if I do tell, she wins.”

Harry sighed in defeat. As much as he hated how stubborn Ginny was being, he knew he would behave exactly the same way if he was in her position. The woman would think Ginny was weak if she spoke up and would easily fall into the Ministry’s line of thinking. It wouldn’t happen, though, because of Ginny’s own experience with the younger version of Voldemort, her knowledge of what had happened in June and what needed to be done to eventually defeat him.

“You’re right,” Harry admitted in defeat. “I hate that there is nothing I can do to help you. I know you don’t need me to protect you, but I wish there was something I could do. Just promise me that you won’t lose your temper with her and end up in detention again.”

“I’ll try, but I suspect she will goad me now until I do. I’m sorry, Harry.”

“Don’t you dare apologise! I love that you stood up for me, for the truth. We are in a tough situation, thanks to the Ministry’s denial and Voldemort’s decision to remain hidden. Yes, it buys us some time to move forward without anyone questioning what we are doing, but it puts so many people at risk. I don’t know what to do.”

“I think it may be time for you speak out,” Ginny confessed. “You may have your name dragged through the mud, but they won’t be able to seek you out when you are well hidden. If it helps, you have more support here at the school than you realise. I think, therefore, you may have more support from the public than the Ministry even realises.”

Harry’s dad had already stated to him that there was a plan to allow him the chance to speak out and make his story known. The problem was finding the right publication that would be not only willing to print the story, but support it. He would need to speak to his dad to ask him to make it a priority. People needed the truth and they needed it sooner rather than later.

**HP &GW**

Harry blinked open his eyes, feeling disoriented as he did so.

“What the hell was that, Harry?” came the voice of his dad.

Ignoring the question for the moment, Harry shook the feeling of disorientation away before sitting up. He realised that he was on the floor of the duelling room that his dad had set up for them when they began his education. He was also wandless. He quickly came to conclusion that his dad had managed to beat him in a duel for the first time in over a year.

“Sorry,” Harry muttered as he clambered to his feet and held his hand out for his wand.

“Oh, no, you are not getting your wand back until you tell me what happened,” his dad sternly told him. “I have just managed to Stun and Disarm you in under five minutes. That has not happened for quite some time.”

Harry kept his eyes down, unable to bear the thought of seeing the look of disappointment on his dad’s face. He didn’t want to tell him that he had been distracted by the overwhelming feeling of anxiety. He certainly didn’t want his dad knowing that the anxiety was over his best friend, who he could now admit he had fallen for. Distraction, as he had been told time and again, increased the risk of losing, of being injured, of being killed. 

“You were distracted,” his dad stated when Harry still did not respond. “This session is over for the day. We are not even going to do any other lessons until you deal with whatever is bothering you.”

Neither wizard moved. Harry knew his dad was waiting for him to open up rather than leaving him to wallow in his thoughts. It was the reason he didn’t move himself, because he knew the time had come to say out loud what he had been afraid to admit.

“It’s Ginny,” Harry blurted out.

“I figured as much,” Sirius replied with a smirk.

“She lost her temper with Umbridge,” Harry explained, knowing he needed to tell his dad everything before admitting his feelings. “She stood up for me. She didn’t mention my name, but she still stood up for me. Gave the woman her honest opinion about the book they are using at Hogwarts for Defence this year. She also may have let slip that she was aware of Fudge’s reaction to the news of Voldemort being back, even with actual evidence. Then, she had the cheek to question if it was Fudge’s desire to retain control that made him deny his return!”

“I would have loved to have seen that!” Sirius said with a chuckle. He loved Ginny’s no-nonsense attitude, even if it did risk getting her into trouble as it had on this occasion. 

“She is now stuck in detention for the next few evenings, but that isn’t the part that is bothering me, Dad. It’s the fact that Umbridge made her write lines with a Blood Quill!”

“Are you serious?”

“Do you really think I would make such an accusation without good reason?” Harry asked rhetorically. “Ginny refuses to tell anyone what is happening, something I understand. I want to help her, but there is nothing I can do for her. I just wish she had not gone back to school and that she was here with me.”

Harry froze as he realised what he had just confessed. He had all but admitted that he had fallen for the red head.

“Firstly, I am going to, whether you want me to or not, have a word with Kingsley about the Blood Quill,” Sirius responded, seemingly ignoring Harry’s final comment. “I doubt he will be able to do much right now because Fudge will easily overrule anything he tries to do. If I make him aware, it can be used against her if the opportunity presents itself. It doesn’t help Ginny out, but we can at least start making the necessary steps towards having her removed from her position.”

Harry nodded in agreement, glad that his dad had some sort of idea of how to deal with that awful toad of a woman.

“Is there any chance we could speed along me making a statement about what happened in June?” Harry asked, remembering what Ginny had said to him the night before. “It isn’t right that Professor Dumbledore takes on the burden of the abuse for speaking out about Voldemort. I still don’t even understand why I have avoided it all, but Ginny says I have more support than the Ministry realises.”

Sirius sighed, knowing his son hated how much he was kept from the public eye. Even though they had remained hidden successfully, Harry had still developed a strong sense of right and wrong and had become someone who would speak up for those who could not. The opportunity had never presented itself until now and Sirius knew the time had come.

“Dumbledore has taken on that burden because, like me, he wants to protect you,” Sirius told his son as he walked up and placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “The Auror department put out a statement about your kidnapping and blurry memories, so that is what has predominantly protected you from any sort of abuse. If you speak up…”

“Then I will take whatever they throw at me,” Harry interrupted, not willing to be protected anymore.

“I am proud of you for being willing to do this and accept whatever the consequences are,” Sirius said, pulling his son into hug. “Your parents would be proud of you as well.”

Harry sucked in a breath at hearing his dad speak of his parents. While they spoke regularly about his parents, his dad had always been careful not to compare him to them or to put pressure on him to live   
up to their reputations. He had been given the chance to become an individual rather than allowing his parents’ actions to influence who he became.

“Don’t think I have forgotten about making my second point, Harry,” Sirius said as he pulled away from son. “I heard very clearly what you said about Ginny. I think that conversation would be better off taking place in the kitchen.”

Harry followed his dad out of the duelling room and through the house to the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table, he kept his eyes down as he tried to figure out what he was going to say to his dad about his feelings for his best friends.

“So, you like Ginny,” Sirius simply said as he placed a cold bottle of water in front of his son.

“I… yes, I do,” Harry finally admitted out loud before a long sip of water. 

“I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to figure out that you like her.”

Harry’s eyes snapped up to look at his dad as his jaw dropped in shock at the statement.

“Seriously, Harry?” Sirius asked in amusement. “You really think no one knew that the pair of you were falling for one another? It was obvious to everyone who saw the two of you together throughout the summer.”

“She likes me, too?” Harry whispered, ignoring everything else his dad had said.

“Of course, she does and, like you, she is probably wondering if you like her too.”

Harry could not believe that Ginny liked him. He could imagine why she did, given the mess he had been at the start of the summer and the numerous flaws he had. Yet, somehow, she was able to overlook all that and be his best friend. Now, there was potential for more. The problem was he had a severe lack of experience when it came to the opposite sex.

“I know I have done you a disservice by keeping the number of people you interact with to a minimum,” Sirius admitted, pulling Harry from his thoughts, “but any questions you have, you know I will happily answer. I will even redo the sex talk we have already had.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Harry replied awkwardly as his cheeks heated up. “At least, not yet. Right now, I want to find the courage to tell her how I feel and I would rather do it in person.”

“And not wait until Christmas?”

Harry nodded. Now, that he knew that his best friend was falling for him, he didn’t think he would be able to wait three months before admitting how he felt. On top of that, he was fearful that she would be asked out by someone at Hogwarts and actually say yes to them, not believing she ever had a chance with her best friend. No, it needed to be sooner rather than later.

“And you definitely don’t want to tell her over the mirrors?”

“No, I want to do this in person and in private with no potential for interruptions,” Harry firmly stated. He just hoped that knowing what he now knew wouldn’t make things awkward when talking to her every night.

“Ok, that one I can sort out for you,” his dad told him with a calculating look in his eye. “I can make that work with the original plan I had set out for Hogsmeade next month. However, I have to ask you this and I need you to really think about your answer.”

“Ok,” Harry slowly said as he wondered what his dad was going to ask him, worrying it was something that could put him off asking out Ginny.

“I understand you wanting to go public with the truth about June,” his dad said, a concerned look now in his eyes, “and I understand your desire for a normal teenage experience, something I have struggled to give you, but…”

There it was, the ‘but’ that Harry had been expecting. It was enough for him to know that he was about to be asked a question he had not even considered.

“Do you plan to be open and honest about dating Ginny or do you intend to keep it private?”

The conversation they’d had back at Grimmauld Place came rushing back to Harry. There were concerns that Voldemort could potentially kidnap Ginny, though no intelligence had confirmed either way. Then, there was the fact that no one outside of those who had been present at Grimmauld Place this past summer were even aware of their friendship. If the Ministry, or even Voldemort knew, they could use her to draw Harry out into the open before he was ready. There were so many factors to consider that Harry began to wonder if it was even worth telling Ginny how he truly felt.

“Don’t do that, Harry,” his dad sternly said, his voice breaking through Harry’s concerns. “Don’t let what is happening stop you from having something good in your life. Your parents didn’t let it stop them being together, getting married or from having you.”

“I don’t want her getting hurt,” Harry whispered, feeling his heart break over the possibility of never telling his best friend how he felt. “I don’t want them using her against me. I don’t want to lose her, Dad. I love my life with you and Uncle Remus. You are the best family I could have asked for, but Ginny, she’s different. She’s the best thing in my life.”

“Then, I think you have your answer, son.”

**HP &GW**

Ginny climbed through the portrait hole, relieved that she had now completed her weeks’ worth of detention with Umbridge. She was determined not to find herself back in detention as she didn’t think she could physically or mentally take another week of using the Blood Quill. The words, ‘I must not tell lies’, were now permanently etched into her hand, which was currently sore and bleeding from her final round of line writing. She had fallen behind in her homework and was losing sleep as result of the scramble to catch up and the stress it had caused her. All she wanted to, right now, however, was get her hand cleaned up, crawl into bed and speak to Harry through their mirrors.

“Ginny?” said the voice from the last person she wanted to speak to.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny turned and saw Hermione Granger sitting in an armchair that stood in the corner of the common room. A pile of books was stacked neatly on the floor with one book open on the older girl’s lap. She should have known that Hermione would most likely still be up, prepping well in advance of the OWL exams.

“Hi, Hermione,” Ginny greeted her kindly while praying the fifth year did not keep her long. “I didn’t see you there, not that I’m surprised to see you down here, studying.”

Hermione did not answer as her eyes were glued to the sight in front of her. Ginny quickly realised that, despite her having covered the worst of the damage, her hand could still be seen and was dripping blood.

“What happened, Ginny?” Hermione asked as she threw her book to the floor and quickly approached the youngest Weasley. “Why is your hand bleeding?”

“It’s nothing,” Ginny lied as she tried to shove her hand into her pocket. However, Hermione grabbed hold her wrist and pulled Ginny’s hand to her.

Ginny closed her eyes in shame as she heard the horrified gasp of her closest female friend.

“You said you were just writing lines, Ginny,” Hermione said as she pulled Ginny’s hand up to take a closer a look, causing Ginny gasp out in pain. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your hand more.”

“It’s fine, Hermione.”

“It isn’t,” Hermione scolded her before guiding the redhead over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. “From the looks of it, this is a permanent scar. Have you seen or told anyone?”

“Yes,” Ginny admitted, looking away from the concerned look she was being given.

“Well, why didn’t they do anything to stop what was happening to you? Actually, how did this happen?”

“She made me use a Blood Quill. Yes, I know they are illegal, Hermione. As for why no one has put a stop to it is because the person I told doesn’t attend this school and understood my reasons for not informing a member of staff.”

“You need to tell someone, Ginny. Someone who can actually take the correct steps to ensuring this doesn’t happen again or to anyone else.”

Ginny pulled her hand out of the fifth year’s hand and stood as her anger bubbled to the surface.

“Exactly what would they do? The Ministry is trying to take control of the school. Umbridge is watching the teachers’ every move. If they told her to stop what she was doing or even reported her to Dumbledore, she would lie through her teeth to make it look like I was the one in the wrong. On top of that, if I told a teacher then she would win. She would think she had done enough to make her think I now toe the Ministry line. I refuse to allow that to happen. I will not have her make my best friend out to be a liar.”

Ginny collapsed back onto the sofa after her outburst. She didn’t even look to see the stunned look on her friend’s face.

“He’s your best friend, isn’t he?” Hermione whispered as she connected the dots. While she had been aware that Ginny knew Harry Potter, she had not realised how close the two teens were. “He’s the one you told about what that toad was doing to you?”

“Yes.”

“I need more than a simple yes, Ginny,” Hermione said in exasperation at the lack of an answer. “You don’t need to give me every little detail, but I need to understand why you would risk that woman’s wrath all for a boy who doesn’t even attend our school and never spoken out about what happened to him in June.”

Ginny sighed, not particularly wanting to have this conversation, but she needed someone to talk to about Harry. Perhaps, she could figure out what to do about how she felt about her best friend and whether she should confess to how she felt to him.

“Fine, but you cannot tell anyone what I tell you,” Ginny demanded, knowing that Hermione wouldn’t leave her alone until she told her truth.

Hermione nodded her agreement, leading to Ginny giving the older witch an overview of their friendship, starting from when Harry rescued her in the Chamber of Secrets. She held back a significant amount of information that she knew Hermione would pick up on, but Ginny refused to break her promise of keeping what she knew secret.

“I have been speaking to him every night via a mirror that has been charmed so we can communicate,” Ginny said as she came to end of what she felt comfortable telling Hermione. “He knows about the detentions and I know his dad was going to speak to an Auror about it, not that they can do anything. Umbridge is literally under Fudge’s protection.”

“Oh!” Hermione gasped as she clapped a hand over her mouth. “You like him! You like him more than just a friend!”

Ginny nodded, grateful that Hermione was now distracted from the detentions by the fact she had fallen for Harry.

“Is the reason you haven’t told him because you don’t believe you are good enough for the Boy Who Lived?” Hermione asked, picking up that Ginny had not told Harry how she felt. 

“Hermione!” Ginny gasped out in shock, not believing her friend could say something like she just had. She still remained unsure as to whether Harry had feelings for her; she did wonder if she was good enough for him, but not because he was the Boy Who Lived.

“Oh, no, that came out all wrong! I’m so sorry!” Hermione said as she realised what she had said. “I didn’t mean to say that. I think I may have been a little too excited at the possibility that my friend could end dating the Boy Who Lived.”

Ginny sighed, understanding why Harry had been so cautious when he first met her brothers. He didn’t want this moniker to define who he is was, especially when he was so much better than the stories she had been told about the Boy Who Lived as a child.

“He isn’t the Boy Who Lived to me, Hermione,” Ginny confessed, knowing now that if she pursued a relationship with Harry, then it would have to remain a secret for so many reasons. Yet, she realised that she was willing for it to remain unknown to most of the wizarding world if it meant she could be with him. “He’s just Harry.”


	8. Secret Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October 1995 - Ginny, Hermione and Ron meet with other students to discuss potentially forming a Defence Club.

“Why me, Hermione?” Ginny moaned as she followed the older witch and her brother towards the Hog’s Head. “Why do I have to be the one to lead this meeting?”

It was now the beginning of October and the first Hogsmeade visit of the school year. Somehow, though Ginny was not sure how, Hermione had convinced her to help her form a defence group with Ginny leading and teaching it.

It had become alarmingly obvious that, despite complaints from every year, Umbridge would not budge when it came to her refusal to provide practical lessons. The fifth and seventh years were already beginning to panic that they would not be ready for their OWLs and NEWTs come June. The Ministry official was slowly taking over the school just as Ginny had feared and she couldn’t help but wonder what Umbridge would do next to destroy the school she knew and loved.

Thankfully, Ginny had managed to keep her temper in check and had not earned any more detentions. That was not to say there had been moments that she wanted to call out the lies Umbridge insisted on telling, but Harry had warned her, during one of their late night chats, that she risked having her privileges of attending Hogsmeade and being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team taken away if she wasn’t careful. The atmosphere in school already felt miserable, all thanks to the interfering witch, but there was no way Ginny was going to let her take away things that she enjoyed. 

It didn’t help, also, that she was desperately missing Harry. Their late-night chats, using their connected mirrors, had been a saving grace, but it wasn’t the same as when they had curled up together on the sofa or Harry’s bed. Luckily, she had managed to not let her feelings for her best friend make their conversations awkward. While there had been some nights where she had thought she should just tell him when she called him through the mirror, she knew she wanted to wait until she saw him in person. She just hoped she didn’t have to wait until Christmas before she could tell him.

“How many times do I need to remind you, Ginny?” Hermione replied with a huff, pausing to turn and look at the younger witch. “I know you hate talking about what happened to you in your first year, but you are, right now, the only person in school who has any experience with You-Know-Who. I don’t expect you to tell anyone the details of what happened that year, but you can, at least, make them understand just how cruel he can be.”

Ginny had not even considered that the older witch might want her to mention anything to do with the Chamber. The whole school knew she had been the one to be dragged down into it, but none of them, barring Hermione and Ron, knew the full details or that Voldemort was controlling her to do his bidding. She didn’t know if she was even ready to have that conversation with anyone who didn’t already know the truth. Yet, here was Hermione, in her own brash way, asking her to be honest with people who could potentially laugh in her face.

“I can understand you wanting me to speak up about my own experience with Voldemort,” Ginny replied as the three teens continued their walk through Hogsmeade, “but I can’t even promise you that I will even reveal that much. It’s not easy for me to talk about with people who have minimal knowledge of that year.”

“I’m not asking you to give them a full account of what happened to you that year, Ginny,” Hermione told her. “You can still give them something without exposing how uncomfortable it is for to speak about.”

Ginny was not sure how to take that approach without revealing more than she wanted to. Hopefully, the conversation with the other students would guide her towards a suitable answer that she felt comfortable with. There was still the question, though, of why she was the one most qualified to teach the other students, all of whom were older than her.

“Why me, though?” she asked as they neared the Hog’s Head. “Why am I the one being made to teach the group? I’m just a fourth year and everyone coming today is older than me. What could I possibly teach them that they don’t already know?”

“Are you kidding me, Gin?” Ron responded. “You had extra training with your best friend over the summer. You began to learn the Patronus Charm in your second year when Dementors were stationed at the school because of Peter Pettigrew. Yes, you may not have successfully conjured a full corporal Patronus until this summer, but you were getting close by the time you finished your second year. If you don’t think you are suitable to teach other students, then think about everything you have accomplished in the last two years.”

“I am going to have to agree with Ron,” Hermione said, shocking Ginny. “You told me you would never let anyone ever control you the way Tom Riddle did. You threw yourself into your schoolwork, especially Defence Against the Dark Arts. Not only that, but you also made the effort to make friends beyond our house. People like you, so trust me when I say, they will listen to you.”

Ginny sighed, knowing she had lost the argument. Her brother and friend had made valid points, ones she could not refute. She also knew she had to remember that many of those invited needed a way to practice the spells they would require for their OWLs and NEWTs. She doubted she would be able to help them, except for, perhaps, assigning time for them to focus solely on those specific spells.

“Fine,” Ginny said in a huff, “but I am warning you, if we get caught, I am taking you down with me!”

“Deal,” Ron replied before Hermione could complain. “Now, can we go in? I can see the twins heading this way, which means others should be following pretty soon.”

Within half hour of entering the near-empty run-down inn, a bigger group than Ginny had been expecting now filled a good portion of the available tables. George and Fred, who she had known were coming, had talked Angelina, Alicia and Katie from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team into attending, alongside their best friend, Lee Jordan. She could also see Colin Creevey and his brother, Dennis, as well as a couple of sixth years from Ravenclaw and a couple of others from other years. She was especially happy to see one of her closest friends, Luna Lovegood, had attended. It seemed, however, that nearly all of the fifth years had come along, except for those in Slytherin. Despite how nervous this number of people made her, she knew that almost all of them believed that Voldemort had returned, accepting that Professor Dumbledore would not have announced it without good reason.

“Thank you for coming everyone,” Hermione said as she stood to face the group of students. “We all know why we are here, which is to discuss the potential idea for forming a study group for Defence Against the Dark Arts. We all know Umbridge refuses to teach practical lessons, believing that they are not needed and a decent knowledge of the theory behind a spell will mean we would be able to cast it on the first try. I will admit that for those of us who have our OWLs or NEWTs this year are desperately need of the practical lessons, but there is another reason for the need to learn these spells – Lord Voldemort is back.”

Ginny sat up a little straighter at hearing her friend willingly say “Voldemort” out loud for the first time. She didn’t fail to notice the visible reactions for most of the group, however, something that angered her. She knew she could work on making sure the group could not only stop reacting to the name but teach them to say it without fear as well. Harry had managed it with her and she’d had a real reason to fear the name.

“Where’s the proof that he is back?” said a boy she knew to be Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff in her year. 

“Professor Dumbledore announced it,” Hermione replied firmly. “He has spoken to those involved and has seen evidence that confirms it.”

“What evidence?” Zacharias argued back. “Harry Potter is the one who supposedly saw You-Know-Who come back, if Dumbledore is to be believed, but he has not spoken out once to confirm it.”

“Why are you here?” Ginny asked angrily. “What reason brought you to this meeting? Is it to find out details about how Voldemort returned? Because that is something none of us here can even provide you!”

The Hufflepuff shrunk back under the angry glare Ginny gave him. She knew Harry did want her to mentioning to anyone outside of her family and Hermione that she knew him personally, but she also knew he would want her to say whatever it took to make people understand and accept the truth.

“I may not have been there in June to witness his return,” Ginny said as she went and stood next to Hermione, “but I already knew he was never dead and was attempting to find a way to return.”

“You don’t need to do this, Gin,” Ron whispered as he came up behind her. “I know we said it would be good for you to say something, but not like this, not when you are angry.”

Ginny turned her head to look her brother and was surprised by the look of concern on his face. She knew he cared for her, even though they still argued as siblings do, and he had taken good care of her on her return to Hogwarts for her second year. Yet, in this moment, his look of concern overwhelmed her.

“I need to do this, Ron,” Ginny quietly confessed to him, grateful she had him there to support her, especially if she couldn’t have her best friend by her side. “I need to face what happened to me and not hide from it.”

Ron nodded, but remained where he stood, making clear he was standing by her as she spoke to the group.

“You all know that I was the one taken down into the Chamber of Secrets back in my first year at Hogwarts,” Ginny began to explain, hiding the fear she had that people would reject her for what she was forced to do. “What you are not aware of, however, is that I was being controlled by a diary I wrote in. It somehow possessed me and forced me to open the chamber, release the Basilisk and attack Muggleborns. I apologise if you were one of those people that was attacked or affected by what I did.”

“Was it You-Know-Who’s diary?” Colin Creevey asked, one of those she had unwillingly attacked that year.

“Yes,” Ginny whispered.

“That’s why you believe Dumbledore when he says You-Know-Who is back,” Cho Chang stated, not questioning Ginny further on her experience.

“It’s part of it. I have other reasons that I currently cannot reveal to you, but even without them, my experience with the diary would have been more than enough to believe Professor Dumbledore.”

The look on the faces of the students that were present was a mix, but no one seemed to want to argue with what Ginny had told them. She had made them accept he was back, but they still needed to understand how bad things could possibly become for the entire wizarding world.

“None of us here are even old enough to remember the last war against Voldemort,” she continued when it appeared no one was going to say anything further. “Yet, a fair few of our families were impacted because of it. My two uncles died and from what Ron and I have been told, they refused to go down without a fight. My mum was devastated by the loss of her brothers, but proud by how they refused to go quietly.”

“Ginny’s right,” Neville said, standing up to address everyone. “You-Know-Who and his followers will willingly kill or destroy anyone who stands in their way. My parents were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters and they are now permanent patients at St. Mungo’s. Harry Potter had defeated You-Know-Who by that point, but that didn’t matter to them.”

Silence that followed Neville’s confession was deafening. Everyone knew he lived with his grandmother, but no one had ever asked what had happened to his parents. People had just assumed they had died.

“So, are we going to make this group happen then?” Neville asked when no one else seemed had a response.

The next ten minutes led to a somewhat fierce debate about where and when they were going to meet. It didn’t help that they needed to figure out how to schedule around Quidditch team practices, Prefect duties and homework. In the end, it was agreed that until they could find a suitable place to meet, which was away from prying eyes, then they would put the first meeting on hold.

“Who’s going to teach us?” one of fifth year Ravenclaws asked, who Ginny recognised as Michael Corner. They had met at the Yule Ball and shared one dance together before Ginny had gently refused his advance.

“Ginny will,” Ron said confidently. “She was given some additional training over the summer. She has accomplished so much, even mastering spells that we are not taught until seventh year.”

“Like what?” Ernie Macmillan asked sceptically.

“The Patronus Charm,” he replied proudly. Ginny knew he would usually be jealous of what she had accomplished, but he had understood the necessity for her to learn as the Dementors had an awful effect on her.

Every student, her brothers included, looked at her in awe, something Ginny was not comfortable with.

“I’m not an expert,” Ginny argued. “Please don’t expect me to get you through your exams. That is down to you, not me. The stuff I was taught was for me to be able to defend myself, because of fears that I may potentially be a target.”

“I highly doubt you could be a much worse teacher than Professor Umbridge,” Neville declared to much agreement from the students.

Ginny wanted to argue back, but it seemed everyone was set on her being the one to teach them. She didn’t know if she could do it or help them as they thought she could. She would need to ask for advice on how to do this and she knew the perfect people to ask. She just wished they had been able to come to Hogsmeade today, but she had not received word from Harry or Sirius in any form.

“Before we go our separate ways, I think it is important that Umbridge is not made aware of what we are planning,” Hermione stated as she pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag. “I also think we should all sign our names on this as an agreement not to reveal what we have planned.”

Ginny immediately saw the reluctance on the faces of several students. She didn’t care for their arguments and just wanted to get out of there, so she could go back to Hogwarts and call Harry on her mirror. So, she walked over to Hermione, took the quill and signed the parchment.

“If you don’t sign it, I will happily learn how to Obliviate those who refuse,” Ginny said before walking away from the group, not noticing two people slipping out of the door of the inn.

“Hey, Red,” came a gruff voice.

She turned her head in the direction of the voice to see the barman looking at her. He seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t place why he did so.

“Have a note for you here,” he said, causing her to approach him to collect note.

Ginny immediately recognised the handwriting on the front of the note and quickly opened and read it. Her heart jumped for joy to discover Harry and Sirius were in Hogsmeade and wanted her to join them in the Three Broomsticks for lunch. However, she questioned how they had passed the note to the barman. Had they been in here without her realising? There had been a couple of patrons, but they had ignored the group. Looking round, she noticed they were no longer here, leaving her to believe they had been present during the entire meeting. She wouldn’t know for certain, though, until she asked them. The sooner she rounded up her brothers and Hermione, who had been invited along, the sooner she could find out and ask for their advice.

**HP &GW**

“Madam Rosmerta? I believe you are expecting me and my brothers,” Ginny said once she had reached the bar at the Three Broomsticks.

The landlady turned and smiled on seeing the young redhead, “Of course, if you give me a minute, I will show you through.”

Ginny nodded in understanding before turning back to her brothers and Hermione, hoping they wouldn’t left waiting too long. 

“Are you sure I was invited?” Hermione asked her nervously. “I don’t even know them, so why would I be asked?”

“Yes, you are invited,” Ginny replied, hoping to ease her friend’s nerves. “As to why, well, we may have told them a little about you, especially your opinions on house-elves. Just don’t pepper him with questions, Hermione.”

Before Hermione could make any sort of promise, Madam Rosmerta returned and led the group through to a private room at the back of the inn. She had barely opened the door when Ginny, on spotting her best friend, burst through and ran over to Harry, throwing herself into his arms.

“You came!” she said excitedly.

“Of course, I did,” Harry replied as he hugged her close to his body. “I have been bugging my dad for the past month about coming.”

The two friends finally pulled apart when they heard someone, most likely Harry’s dad, clear their throat. Turning round to face everyone, they found knowing looks on the faces of Sirius and Ginny’s brothers and an awe-struck Hermione.

“You remember my brothers, Harry,” she said, realising she needed to introduce Harry to the one person he did not know. “And, this is Hermione Granger, Ron’s best friend, who we told you about over the summer.”

“I have heard a lot about you,” Harry said as he walked over and held his hand out.

For a moment, Harry thought the girl might faint as she gazed up at his scar. Instead, words seemed to burst from her mouth as she began talking about how it was an honour to meet Harry before spouting off random information from a variety of books that he had been mentioned in.

“HERMIONE!” Ginny shouted, annoyed that Hermione had done the one thing she had asked her not to.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the bushy-haired witch cried as she snapped out of her rambling. “I am so sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Harry kindly said. “It isn’t the worst reaction I have had when someone has met me for the first time.”

Ginny was stunned by Harry’s reaction, knowing how much he hated the way most people fawned over him. While she knew that Sirius had kept them hidden away from the wizarding world since that tragic   
night, she was aware that they did, on occasion, go to Diagon Alley. They usually stuck to the Muggle world, but that didn’t always stop someone from recognising who Harry was.

“It is very nice to meet you,” Hermione replied calmly. “Ginny told me how much you helped after what happened in her first year.”

Harry turned and smiled at Ginny as he said, “Well, given my own experiences, it felt wrong not to help her. Not many people survive facing Voldemort and live to tell the tale.”

With the ice finally broken between Harry and Hermione, the group sat down around the table. No one failed to notice how Harry and Ginny pulled their individual chairs close to each other so there was very little space between them. The action brought a small smile to Sirius’ face, knowing just what Harry planned to do before Ginny left to return to school.

“So, you’re starting a secret defence group,” Sirius stated when Rosmerta had brought in a round of Butterbeers for everyone and taken their lunch orders, “and all under the nose of the worst Ministry official.”

“You were there!” Ginny exclaimed as the jaws of the twins, Hermione and Ron dropped in shock.

“Of course, we were,” Harry replied. “I had to come and see what Ron and Hermione had dragged you into. Quite honestly, I love the idea!”

Ginny was thrilled to hear her best friend say he loved the idea as it made her feel more relaxed at being the one to lead and teach the group.

“If you five can make up a list of spells you wish to cover, then I’ll add to it,” Sirius told the group. “Best to add the entire spell list for fourth year and above and go from there.”

“That’s all well and great, but there won’t be any point if we cannot find somewhere to meet,” Ron stated.

“Why don’t you ask the house-elves?” Sirius suggested. “They know the school better than anyone who has passed through the doors and I say this as one of the creators of the Marauders Map. I can guarantee they will find you somewhere suitable that will give you enough space and keep you hidden.”

“We can go down there and ask them tomorrow,” Fred said as George nodded in agreement to the plan. “And before you ask, Hermione, no, you cannot come with us. You have already upset them enough with your ideas of freedom and paid work.”

Hermione looked ready to argue back, but, thankfully, the door opened as Rosmerta came to deliver their meals. 

Lunch remained relatively calm with no more talk of house-elves. Instead, the group talked about what had happening at the school and how the Ministry were trying to force their way in to take control.

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” Ginny asked as she remembered the conversation that she’d had with Harry a few weeks earlier. “Have you found a suitable publication to tell Harry’s version of events?”

“No, not yet,” Sirius confessed. “The publication is not even the problem. It’s more finding a journalist who is willing to write the story and risk their career. It doesn’t seem to matter if you mention the Boy Who Lived, most people I have spoken to refuse to take a chance on a story that the Ministry is denying even happened.”

“Have you asked Xenophilius Lovegood?” Ginny replied. “He runs the Quibbler.”

“Isn’t that the magazine full of crackpot ideas that Luna’s dad runs?” Ron asked his sister, which nearly resulted in him being hexed by his sister before Harry stopped her.

“I had considered him,” Sirius admitted, “but I was concerned about how low his readership was.”

“It wouldn’t matter, though, as Harry’s name would be enough to make anyone buy a copy to read,” Hermione noted.

As much as Ginny didn’t want to agree with Hermione, she knew the older witch was correct in her thinking. Any publication would sell out quickly just from having the Boy Who Lived on the front page, even if the story was complete nonsense.

“She’s right, Dad,” Harry said, much to Ginny’s surprise. “I know we have never used my name to gain access to anywhere or get our hands on something we have wanted, but even I can recognise that there will be times that we should use my name to our advantage. Dad, this is one of those times.”

The group could only watch as Sirius considered Harry’s plea, who knew he could no longer hide his son from the world as much as he wanted to. It was time for Harry to speak up.

“Fine,” Sirius finally said. “I’ll speak to Xenophilius in the week and see if we can get something set up this month. Hopefully, we can have the article published before Christmas.”

The rest of lunch passed with the group moving away from the more serious topics and towards the subject of the twins’ plans to open their own joke shop. Sirius took the chance to hand over the paperwork he promised he would arrange that would bring Harry and Sirius on as investors. Harry, on the other hand, took the time to learn more about Hermione, as well as educate her about house-elves so she could focus on her desire to help them on where they truly needed support. 

Eventually, lunch came to an end with the twins disappearing to meet Lee Jordan, Sirius going to out into main bar to pay the bill, and Hermione and Ron leaving without the need for a hint. That just left Ginny and Harry by themselves, both suddenly feeling awkward and neither realising the other wanted to speak about the same thing.

“I want to tell you something,” they both said at the same time when they turned to face one another.

“You first, Harry,” Ginny said, not quite sure if she had the courage to tell him what she desperately wanted to say.

“Ok, but bear with me,” Harry asked. “I’ve never done anything like this before and I am probably going to screw up what I want to tell you.”

Ginny couldn’t help but secretly hope that Harry was about to tell her he liked her. As bad as she knew it would sound, she felt relieved if that was, indeed, the case as she honestly didn’t believe she could be the one to make her feelings known first. It didn’t matter that it had been over two years since the events of the Chamber, experiences like that left marks and one of hers was the fear of being rejected.

“I have hated being apart from you over this past month,” Harry began nervously, ignoring his own feelings of being rejected. “I know we have spoken through our mirrors every night, but I think we both know that it just isn’t the same as seeing each other every day. The only good thing that I can truly take from us being apart is realising just how much you have come to mean to me and how grateful I am to have you in my life. What I am trying to say to you is that I really like you and was hoping you feel the same way about me.”

Ginny knew she was squealing inside, delighted that the boy she had fallen for felt the same way she did. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something was telling her to wait for the ‘but’, yet she ignored it, not wanting to ruin the moment.

“I really like you, too, Harry,” she replied calmly, not letting her excitement get the better of her.

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. How could I not? You are one of the best people I know and so much more than the stories I was told about you as a child. You are the reason I have managed not to let the events of the Chamber define me or my life.”

As Ginny had spoken, Harry had moved closer to his best friend. He was close enough that, when Ginny had stopped talking, he couldn’t help but lean down and kiss her. For their first kiss, it was simple and sweet, and everything they could have asked for. Pulling apart, they rested their foreheads together, smiling shyly at one another.

“Before I ask you the question that I believe I already know the answer to,” Harry said, feeling like his heart was racing, “I need to tell you one more thing.”

Ginny nodded, knowing whatever it was, it would not be an issue for her.

“I really do want you to be my girlfriend, but…” Harry paused, hating himself for what he was about to ask of her.

“You want us to keep our relationship quiet, just like we have our friendship,” Ginny stated rather than questioned. She had already decided before meeting him today that she would request the same thing. She didn’t need anyone hassling at school about him, while, at the same time, she wanted to protect Harry from any potential problems that would come from them dating and being friends.

“Is that ok?” he asked nervously.

“Ask me the real question, Harry,” she told him firmly, causing Harry to smile widely at the request.

“Ginny, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, I will,” she happily replied before Harry leaned down to kiss her once again.

Neither had noticed, however, that the door had been left ajar after their friends had left the room. Had they realised this issue, then, they would have spotted the pair of eyes watching them and understanding how what he saw could be a vital piece of information to the Dark Lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not apologise for how I ended this chapter. Hehe!


End file.
